Oskanian: The Swiss Peace Initiative and the Right of Return

 

Vartan Oskanian spoke about the right of return to Nagorno Karabakh at the launch of the Swiss Peace Initiative on May 26. facebook

 

Let me begin with a few words of gratitude. I want to thank the Federal Assembly of the Swiss Confederation—both the National Council and the Council of States—for passing the Motion. I extend special thanks to those who initiated it and led the effort to see it through. They are with us today, and you have heard them speak.

 

I also want to thank members who joined the Committee and are committed to implementing the Motion. My thanks also extend to all those outside Parliament—our Swiss-Armenian compatriots, and non-Armenians as well, who worked with their elected representatives to make this possible.

 

 

And last, but by no means least, I am deeply grateful to CSI, for their steadfast support of the Nagorno-Karabakh cause and for organizing this important gathering today.

 

 

Before I turn to the main topic—the Swiss Peace Initiative and the right of return—I feel compelled to make one clear and essential statement. It matters.

 

 

 

 

The 150,000 Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, who were forcibly displaced from their millennia-old homeland over a year ago under the threat of war, ethnic cleansing, and genocide, were removed from a land that has never historically belonged to an independent Azerbaijani state—not during the 1918–1920 period when Armenia and Azerbaijan were both independent states, nor after the collapse of the Soviet Union. At that time, the people of Nagorno-Karabakh held a legal referendum—under the Soviet constitution—and chose to secede from the Azerbaijani SSR.

 

 

 

 

The only period during which Nagorno-Karabakh was under Azerbaijani control was during Soviet rule, and even then, it held autonomous status. Ironically, Azerbaijan’s own constitution declares Soviet rule illegitimate, while simultaneously treating Soviet-imposed borders as sacrosanct. That contradiction lies at the heart of today’s conflict.

 

 

 

 

I raise this not to dwell on the past, but to clarify that our demands are neither imaginary nor unreasonable. They are grounded in history, legality, and justice.

 

 

 

 

Having said this, let me also emphasize that the people and leadership of Nagorno-Karabakh are very pragmatic. They acknowledge the evolving bilateral dynamics between Baku and Yerevan. Their aim is not to challenge geopolitical realities. Their aim is to return to their ancestral land—collectively, safely, and with their fundamental rights protected by credible international guarantees.

 

 

 

 

This is not a political demand. It is a human one—rooted in international law, lived trauma, and moral clarity.

 

 

 

 

Furthermore, their repatriation under international protection could become a cornerstone for a just and lasting peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan—especially given the profound absence of trust between the two sides. Peace in the region will remain out of reach as long as these people remain uprooted.

 

 

 

 

On November 17, 2023, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that the Republic of Azerbaijan must ensure the “safe, unhindered, and expeditious return” of those who left Nagorno-Karabakh after September 19, 2023, and ensure that such persons “are free from the use of force or intimidation that may cause them to flee.” This was followed by two resolutions of the European Parliament, in March 2024 and October 2024, explicitly calling on Azerbaijan to engage with the representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh and to ensure their safe and dignified right of return. Most recently, the Swiss Parliament passed a decision mandating the Swiss Federal Council to organize a platform for talks on the right of return between representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan.

 

 

 

 

Clearly, an international consensus is emerging on the issue of the right of return.

 

 

 

 

Even Azerbaijan has publicly stated that Armenians can return. So the real questions become: how? when? and under what conditions?

 

International law is unequivocal: people cannot be returned to conditions of danger, fear, or discrimination. And that danger is not theoretical—it is real and visible. Azerbaijan continues to detain former political and military leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh, along with Armenian prisoners of war. These are not criminals; they were defending their right to self-determination, granted to them by international law. These are the very people with whom successive foreign ministers of Azerbaijan have sat down to negotiate the future status of Nagorno-Karabakh. These are the same people with whom the OSCE-mandated mediators have met to reach a peaceful resolution to the conflict. They are now political hostages. As long as they remain imprisoned, true reconciliation is impossible.

 

 

 

 

We are also witnessing a systematic campaign to erase Armenian cultural and historical memory—churches defaced, cemeteries bulldozed, monasteries stripped of their Armenian identity.

 

 

 

The task now is to ensure that any return is consistent with international law in its full scope—including human rights law, humanitarian law, and the law of non-discrimination—not solely the principle of territorial integrity. This is precisely what the proposed forum is meant to support: a neutral and credible space for dialogue, in which Switzerland merely offers its good offices—a table—so that the relevant actors can address the concrete conditions under which return might one day become feasible. This will be a Swiss Peace Initiative for Nagorno-Karabakh.

 

 

 

 

Switzerland, with its longstanding reputation for neutrality, discretion, and empathy, is uniquely positioned to host such a forum.

 

 

 

I know the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs is hesitant to put this process in motion. We listened carefully to the two interventions by the Federal Councillor during the debate on the Motion before the votes in the National Council and the Council of States. We fully understand Switzerland’s cautious and balanced approach. We know you have not recognized the former authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh.

 

 

We respect your desire to avoid unintended diplomatic consequences.

 

 

 

 

This forum is not about taking sides. It is not about granting legitimacy to one party over the other. It is about making space—a neutral, principled space—where silenced voices can be heard. Where both Azerbaijan and the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh can sit together and find a way forward. A way home.

 

 

 

 

Thank you.