OSCE PA President: Peace Is Becoming Tangible For Societies In Azerbaijan And Armenia (Exclusive)
Sampietro said he was invited to the 4th International Mine Action Conference,“Humanitarian Demining for Urban Recovery: Setting Standards of Excellence for Safe Settlements,” and on this occasion, conducted his first high-level bilateral visit to Baku, aimed at strengthening the OSCE PA's engagement with Azerbaijan.
“Meeting today with President Ilham Aliyev, we also discussed the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace and normalization process, regional security and opportunities for confidence building and dialogue,” he said.
The OSCE PA president pointed out that the progress achieved since the Washington summit has created an opportunity that should not be lost.
“The initialling of the peace agreement was an important achievement, which was widely acknowledged within the OSCE PA, and I look forward to the next steps towards signature and full ratification. We are seeing now how peace is starting to deliver – with Azerbaijan beginning to export refined petroleum, increased commerce, and the first direct trade between Armenia and Azerbaijan in over three decades. These measures are a demonstration of peace becoming tangible for both societies and ultimately show the benefits of normalized relations over frozen conflict,” Sampietro added.
Support for mine action in Azerbaijan
The OSCE PA president noted that landmines are a tragic, long-term consequence of conflict that require immediate and sustained international attention.
“The scale of mine and explosive-remnant contamination remains a serious humanitarian and development challenge for Azerbaijan. The ANAMA conference this week has demonstrated clearly that demining is not simply a technical issue: it is about civilian safety, return, reconstruction and livelihoods, all of which, of course, are essential for economic development,” he said.
Sampietro believes that international cooperation is indispensable.
“Azerbaijan should be able to draw more on international expertise, technology and donor support as clearance and reconstruction continue. Our Assembly is an important platform to sustain the attention towards these issues on the international agenda and create opportunities for further cooperation between our countries,” he added.
The way forward for OSCE PA–Azerbaijan cooperation
Sampietro pointed out that it is important to enhance cooperation between the OSCE PA and Azerbaijan, including with the Azerbaijani Delegation to the OSCE PA, particularly around humanitarian mine action and other matters of urgent concern.
“International institutions are important platforms for addressing disagreements through dialogue. We seek to listen to Azerbaijani concerns and explore possibilities for parliamentary engagement,” the OSCE PA president added.
He noted that the Azerbaijani Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly has always been quite active and engaged.
“The OSCE PA remains one of the few parliamentary platforms where Azerbaijan and parliamentarians from across Europe and North America continue to engage directly, and in this respect, we have a responsibility to continue providing a platform for open dialogue. This is a responsibility that we embrace. We welcome all constructive initiatives to enhance dialogue and cooperation,” Sampietro concluded.
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