OIC adopts resolution on Armenian violence against Azerbaijan

19 October 2016 17:23 (UTC+04:00)

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The Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation adopted resolutions on the Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan and the destruction of monuments, related to the history and culture of Islam, by Armenia in the occupied Azerbaijani territories.

The resolutions have been adopted at the 43rd session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on October 19.

The resolution highlights the importance to respect Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions.

The resolution titled “The aggression of the Republic of Armenia against the Republic of Azerbaijan”, adopted during the session, condemns the ongoing Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan, as well as the atrocities of the Armenian armed forces against the civilian population of Azerbaijan.

The document regards it as a crime against humanity and calls for implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions on the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by Armenia. Azerbaijan’s right to demand compensation from Armenia for the damage on Azerbaijan during the conflict was also recognized in the document. It was also noted that the responsibility for the payment of compensation is on Armenia.

In order to prevent aggression and ongoing occupation of the Azerbaijani territories, the resolution calls on the OIC member countries not to sell armaments to Armenia and not to allow their territory to be used as a transit point for arm sales to Armenia.

The document titled “Destruction of monuments belonging to Islamic history and culture as a result of Armenia’s aggression against Azerbaijan” says that the historic, cultural, archeological, anthropological and ethnographic monuments, as well as examples of material culture in Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia are integral part of the Islamic heritage and strictly condemns their destruction.

The document highlights the flagrant violation of the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its protocols by Armenia, requiring unconditional implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions 822 (1993), 853 (1993), 874 (1993) and 884 (1993).

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov represented the country during the 43rd session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers that was held October 18-19 in Tashkent.

Armenia broke out a lengthy war against Azerbaijan laying territorial claims on its South Caucasus neighbor. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts.

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