Armenian aggression cost over $818B to Azerbaijan
By Nigar Orujova
Azerbaijan has so far suffered huge damages in its economy, culture and many other fields in the wake of Armenia's violent and aggressive policy towards the country.
Assessment of the damage caused to Azerbaijan as a result of Armenian aggression, considerably strengthens the country's position in the negotiations on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution.
Elman Pashayev, the head of the sector at the Presidential Administration’s Public and Political Department made the remark while presenting the report by the working group charged with assessing the damages caused to Azerbaijan as a result of Armenia's aggressive policy, on November 18.
Pashayev assured that the reveled figures and weighty factors reinforce Azerbaijan’s arguments at international organizations as well. This also sets the stage for better protection of Baku’s fair position by government officials and representatives of NGOs.
The damages caused by Armenia during the years of occupation of Azerbaijani lands hit about $818 billion, according to the latest calculations showed in the report.
The working group continues the work on calculating the damage and not ruled out that the mentioned figure can increase as a result.
The ultimate target here is to calculate the inflicted damages based on international norms and standards, demand compensation from Armenia and to raise this issue at the international level.
As a result of Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan, 927 libraries, nine mosques, 44 shrines, 464 historical monuments and museums, over 40,000 museum pieces were looted, destroyed and crushed on the occupied territories, according official reports.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
Until now, Armenia pursues a policy of vandalism against Azerbaijan’s historical, material and cultural heritage on its own territory and on occupied Azerbaijani lands.
Moreover, the aggressor continues to actively falsify and annihilate Azerbaijan’s historical and cultural heritage in the occupied territories.
The destruction and damaging of historical and cultural monuments by the Armenian invaders in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan contradict the 1954 Hague convention on preservation of cultural values during armed conflicts, the 1992 European convention on preservation of archeological heritage, and the 1972 UNESCO convention on preservation of world cultural and natural heritage.
In 2005 and 2010, the OSCE fact-finding missions confirmed Armenia's vandalism against Azerbaijan Islamic heritage in the occupied Azerbaijani territories. Since, the inhuman treatment of a nation's cultural heritage has been seen as a war crime - Armenia should therefore stand trial for its war crimes and crimes against humanity.
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Nigar Orujova is AzerNews’ staff journalist. Follow her on Twitter: @o_nigar
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