Djibouti names Armenian aggression "crimes against humanity"
By Sara Rajabova
Eastern African country Djibouti has condemned Armenia's aggression against Azerbaijan, calling on Armenia to withdraw from the occupied territories.
The Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ministry of Djibouti has released a statement strongly condemning Armenia`s aggression against Azerbaijan.
The government of Djibouti considered the actions perpetrated against civilian Azerbaijani population in the occupied Azerbaijani territories as "crimes against humanity".
Recalling the resolutions of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), the UN General Assembly and Security Council, Djibouti "strongly condemned any looting and destruction of the archeological, cultural and religious monuments in Azerbaijan's occupied territories".
Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts from Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million were displaced as a result of the war.
Large-scale hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire in 1994 but Armenia continued the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal.
Djibouti strongly demanded "the strict implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions 822, 853,874 and 884 as well as the UN General Assembly resolution NRESl62l243, and the immediate, unconditional and complete withdrawal of Armenian forces from all occupied Azerbaijani territories including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and strongly urged Armenia to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan".
The country also called for a just and peaceful settlement of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the basis of respect for the principles of territorial integrity of states and inviolability of internationally recognized borders.
Peace talks, mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. through the OSCE Minsk Group, are underway on the basis of a peace outline proposed by the Minsk Group co-chairs and dubbed the Madrid Principles. The negotiations have been largely fruitless so far.