Nagorno Garabagh

“It is well-known that aggression by the Republic of Armenia against the Republic of Azerbaijan has resulted in the occupation of almost one fifth of the territory of my country and expulsion of more than one million Azerbaijanis from their homes and properties. The unresolved conflict continues to undermine international and regional peace and security. It is unfortunate that since the last year’s General Debate, no progress has been achieved in the political settlement of the conflict,” Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov said in his speech at the 74th session of the UN General Assembly, APA reports.

Mr Mammadtarov noted that despite direct contacts between the leaders of the two countries and meetings of foreign ministers over the last two years, the apparent lack of genuine interest by the leadership of Armenia impedes the conflict resolution process. “On the contrary, Yerevan, both in words and deeds, derails the process and sabotages the efforts for finding a soonest peaceful settlement. The recent statements by the Prime Minister of Armenia and the members of his Government leave no doubt as to their annexationist intentions, in clear disregard of international law and the relevant Security Council resolutions.In his statements delivered recently, including at the General Debates at United Nations General Assembly, the Prime Minister of Armenia publicly disclosed his Government’s strategy in negotiations, that is, to “defend the outcomes of the war”. In fact, what the leadership of Armenia intends to defend is the unacceptable status-quo created through the unlawful use of force and the resulting occupation of the internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan, accompanied by heinous crimes against humanity, war crimes and acts of genocide committed against the Azerbaijani civilian population and total ethnic cleansing of the occupied territories of all non-Armenians.”

Foreing Minister emphasized that in its unanimously adopted resolutions 822 (1993), 853 (1993), 874 (1993) and 884 (1993), the United Nations Security Council condemned the use of force against Azerbaijan, the occupation of its territories, the attacks on civilians and the bombardment of inhabited areas in my country, reaffirmed respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, the inviolability of international borders and the inadmissibility of the use of force for the acquisition of territory. “In response to the territorial claims and forcible actions, the Security Council reconfirmed in its resolutions that the Nagorno-Karabakh region is an integral part of Azerbaijan and demanded the immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of the occupying forces from all the occupied territories.The resolutions of the General Assembly and numerous decisions and documents adopted by other authoritative international organizations are framed along the same lines. However, key Security Council demands remain unimplemented.”

“Instead, despite earlier warnings and condemnation by the international community and against the background of ongoing efforts towards the political settlement of the conflict, deliberate actions are being carried out in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan with a view to changing their demographic, cultural and physical character. Such actions include, among others, implantation of settlers, destruction and appropriation of historical and cultural heritage, exploitation and pillage of and illicit trade in assets, natural resources and other wealth in the occupied territories. These actions constitute a clear violation of the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention on the Protection of Civilians in Time of War and Additional Protocol I of 1977, amounting to war crimes and entailing State and individual criminal responsibility under international law” E. Mammadyarov said.

Mr Mammadyarov said it is abundantly clear that such policy and practices can in no way be reconciled with the objectives of achieving a peaceful resolution of the conflict, thus necessitating the urgent action by the United Nations and the wider international community for defending the values, norms and principles of the rules-based and civilized inter-State relations, as enshrined in the UN Charter.