Azerbaijani Parliament appeals to overseas parliaments regarding the situation in Karabakh

On August 15, Speaker of Azerbaijan's Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova, the Heads of Milli Majlis working groups on inter-parliamentary relations and Leaders of the Azerbaijani delegations to international parliamentary organisations made an international statement in connexion with Armenia's attempts to manipulate the equally international public and confused them as to the part of the Garabagh Region of Azerbaijan where the Russian peacekeeping contingent are stationed temporarily. This statement is addressed to the heads of parliamentary organisations and foreign parliaments, Press and Public Relations Department of Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis told APA.

The appeal reiterates Azerbaijan's commitment to international humanitarian law and human rights law. Armenia's unfounded claims regarding a ‘blockade’ or a ‘humanitarian crisis’ are categorically rejected. It is also pointed out that this is a clear manifestation of Armenia's broad propaganda campaign against Azerbaijan.

It is further noted that the Garabagh Region is an internationally recognised territory of Azerbaijan and the ethnic Armenians living there are citizens of Azerbaijan. The oft-used name of this region – ‘Nagorno Karabakh’ - contradicts the territorial integrity, sovereignty and national legislation of Azerbaijan, as well as the UN normative framework on the use of geographical names.

As regards the so-called ‘Lachin Corridor’, which has no extraterritorial status and is in the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan, our state has allowed movement along this route adhering to its commitments in connexion with the trilateral statement of 10 November 2020. However, Armenia has consistently and openly abused this route, which is intended only for humanitarian purposes, for illegal military and other activities, such as the rotation of some 10,000 armed groups illegally present on Azerbaijani territory, the delivery of weapons, ammunition and mines there, as well as the illegal extraction and export of natural resources from that territory.

Furthermore, it is stated in the international address that that on 23 April 2023 Azerbaijan established a border checkpoint at the beginning of the Lachin Road on the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border exercising its legitimate right to protect its sovereignty and security, which move was brought about by the widespread abuse of this road by Armenia already noted above.

Unable to come to terms with the reality of forces that have not been fully withdrawn from the territory of Azerbaijan, as well as deprived of the means to illegally export Azerbaijan's natural resources, Armenia has embarked on a campaign of manipulation and confusion of the international community.

In particular, it is noted that despite Armenia's attempts to declare the Lachin border crossing point of Azerbaijan illegal, the International Court of Justice (IUCN) unanimously and decisively rejected Armenia's appeal to remove Azerbaijani personnel from the road by its decision of 6 July 2023, and thus dismissed the Armenian arguments that the crossing point impeded the movement of traffic on the said road.

Further, the appeal notes that after the establishment of the border checkpoint the flow of civilian population from the Garabagh Region of Azerbaijan to Armenia has significantly increased and, as of 15 June this year, more than 2,000 people had passed through the checkpoint. On the same day, Armenian armed forces raided Azerbaijani border guards and Russian peacekeepers alike and an Azerbaijani border guard was seriously wounded as a result. That attack was not only aimed at the Azerbaijani border guards but also posed a direct threat to the staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and civilians passing through the checkpoint. And this armed provocation took place while the ICRC was escorting a group of Armenian residents travelling to Armenia from the Garabagh Region for medical purposes. The purpose of the attack was to disrupt the normal functioning of both the road and the Lachin checkpoint.

 Pedalling the false allegation that Azerbaijan deliberately blocked the Lachin Road, Armenia refuses to guarantee that there will be no future incidents of a similar nature, thus effectively preventing the full restoration of the border crossing point. 

As emphasised in the appeal, although Azerbaijan, for its part, has repeatedly called on Armenia to co-operate to facilitate the unimpeded and safe cross-border movement of individuals as well as civilian goods and services through border and customs institutions, these appeals have so far remained unanswered by Armenia.

Despite Armenia's persistence and reckless attempts to use ICRC convoys to smuggle certain dual-use goods to equip illegal armed groups in Azerbaijan, our country continues facilitating the passage of local Armenian residents to Armenia to provide them with emergency medical assistance. As for the smuggling, these are brazen acts that are detrimental to the ICRC's humanitarian mandate and reputation and have been openly acknowledged as such by the organisation.

Against the backdrop of Armenian intransigence, Azerbaijan has intensified its co-operation with the ICRC to use alternative and shorter routes, such as the Northern Route via Aghdam to Khankendi, to transport humanitarian supplies from its other regions to the Karabakh region.

President of the Council of the European Union Charles Michel in his public statement following the meeting in Brussels between President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan, encouraged the use of the Aghdam-Khankendi route as an important component in ensuring that the basic needs of the people of Garabagh are adequately met. 

It is also noted that after a series of intensive consultations and shuttle diplomacy efforts, an agreement was finally reached on the delivery of humanitarian supplies to Garabagh via various routes, as well as on the organisation of a meeting between the special representative of Azerbaijan and representatives of local Armenian residents.

In the first case, it was necessary to remove concrete blocks and all other physical obstacles that the Armenian side had imposed on the use of the Aghdam-Khankendi road in order to allow the delivery of ICRC humanitarian supplies to meet the needs of local residents. Thereafter, within 24 hours, the ICRC was to increase the use of the Lachin Road. All parties involved, including the Russian peacekeeping contingent and the ICRC, were ready to practically implement this agreement.

In the second case, an agreement was reached to hold a meeting in the Azerbaijani town of Yevlakh with a special representative of Azerbaijan and representatives of local Armenian residents.

Unfortunately, guided by revanchist sentiments and evading its obligations within the framework of the normalisation process, Armenia backed out of both agreements at the last moment at the behest of the puppet regime established on 5 August 2023, and started to put forward politically motivated and illegal preconditions and various excuses.

Armenia, instead of being part of the solution, prefers to inflame artificially tensions and makes more and more attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan, as well as to propagate ethnic hatred, falsify facts, disseminate misleading information and insinuate the existence of a ‘blockade’ and a ‘humanitarian crisis’. To this end, Armenia has made consistent efforts to manipulate the international community and, in parallel, has engaged in political and military activities of a provocative nature on the ground.

At the same time, Armenia's repeated pattern of unconstructive behaviour hinders Azerbaijan's attempts to reintegrate the ethnic Armenians of the Garabagh Region as equal Azerbaijani citizens. The Government of Azerbaijan is ready to ensure the well-being of ethnic Armenians living within its borders and to protect all their respective rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution of Azerbaijan and international instruments to which Azerbaijan has acceded. In this regard, Azerbaijan has on several occasions declared its readiness to hold meetings with local Armenians living in the Garabagh Region.

It is particularly important to stress that Armenia's consistent provocations were committed at a time when there was a historic opportunity for the normalisation of relations between the two countries. In recent months, Azerbaijan, with the active participation of international partners, has contributed to a significant intensification of the normalisation process. Diplomatic dialogues have played an important role in narrowing differences and achieving notable progress in several articles of the future bilateral agreement aimed at establishing lasting peace and interstate relations. 

Therefore, at this critical juncture, the international community must reject Armenia's attempts to manipulate and misinform it. Instead of further emboldening Armenia, the international community should compel it to cease actions that violate Azerbaijan's sovereignty and territorial integrity, refrain from interfering in Azerbaijan's internal affairs, and engage in good faith in post-conflict normalisation negotiations.

It is extremely important that Armenia refrain from using international platforms and institutions to repeatedly violate the already fragile conditions of peace in the region.

At the end of the address, the Azerbaijani parliamentarians express their hope that their foreign colleagues will demonstrate an impartial and fair position, reject Armenia's propaganda and act objectively, following the truth and international law.

News.Az