KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 21 (NNN-Bernama) — The construction works Azerbaijan carried out in a short period of time in the Lachin region proves that it is capable of ensuring the people living in that region – including Azerbaijani citizens of Armenian origin – a life of peace, security and mutual understanding, said Azerbaijan ambassador to Malaysia Irfan Davudov.
He said during the construction of a new road, when an important part of the construction process was carried out without the accompaniment of the Russian peacekeeping contingent, the contacts with the local Armenian population demonstrated the possibility of direct contacts and joint activities between the Azerbaijani and Armenian populations.
Davudov explained that according to the Nov. 10, 2020, tripartite declaration, the Lachin region was one of the regions where the occupying troops were to be withdrawn “in a short period of time”; however, part of this region, including the city of Lachin, and a number of villages remained under the control of the Russian peacekeeping forces.
In a statement to Bernama explaining his government’s position on the issue, he said the reason for this was that the highway connecting Armenia with the territories of Azerbaijan where Russian peacekeepers were temporarily stationed, pass through these settlements.
“According to that statement, after the construction of the new road passing outside the residential areas, these areas should also come under the control of Azerbaijan. We completed the construction of this road in a short period of time and now demand the evacuation of these settlements,” he said.
Touching on the Armenian side’s obligations under the tripartite statement, Davudov claimed its leadership still has difficulty understanding the historical, socioeconomic and geopolitical realities.
The ambassador pointed out that the sooner the Armenian side understands this, the more useful it will be for the future of Armenia, for its socioeconomic development and for the development of the South Caucasus region as a whole.
The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia started in 1988 – three years before the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 – following Armenia’s illegal and groundless claims against the country.
And in 1992, war broke out between the two former Soviet states, resulting in Armenian occupation of 20 per cent of Azerbaijan’s internationally-recognised territory, including the mountainous part of Karabakh and seven surrounding districts, and also caused one million Azerbaijani to become refugees and Internally Displaced People (IDP).
The Second Karabakh War, which erupted on Sept 27, 2020, resulted in Azerbaijan liberating most of its occupied territories. The two countries signed a Russian-brokered agreement (tripartite statement) on Nov 10, 2020, to end the fighting and work towards the signing of a comprehensive peace agreement.
Recently, clashes have broken out near Lachin and both sides have traded accusations about the clashes.
According to the ambassador, before the conflict, as in many other occupied regions, there was never an Armenian population in Lachin region, but after the occupation of the region in 1992 and the expulsion of the population from their homes, they started to illegally settle in these territories, which he said is contrary to the Geneva Conventions and is considered a war crime.
“Thus, they should leave these territories and return it to their legal residents, the Azerbaijani citizens of Lachin, who have been living as displaced persons for 30 years,” he said.
According to Davudov, the steps taken by Azerbaijan to fulfill its duties are in accordance with the statement, and is based on the fundamental principles of international law – the recognition of the territorial integrity of both countries, the inviolability of borders, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, non-assertion of territorial claims, non-use of force and non-threats thereof.
“Although several meetings between the heads of state and foreign ministers of the two countries were held with the mediation of various countries, the “continuous violation” by the Armenian side of the agreements, unfortunately, has not yet made it possible to achieve noticeable results in the direction of improving relations,” the ambassador claimed.
— NNN-BERNAMA
