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Armenian president encourages war crimes - Lebanese legal expert

3 October 2020 14:26 (UTC+04:00)
Armenian president encourages war crimes - Lebanese legal expert

The statement of Armenian President Armen Sarkissian on the involvement of ethnic Armenians from other countries in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a war crime, well-known Lebanese advocate, expert on foreign policy and international law, board member of the International Association of Human Rights Defenders, Tareg Shandeb told Trend.

Shandeb said that these actions are also a crime against humanity, since the mentioned Armenians are citizens of other countries.

According to him, by the statement Sarkissian admitted that his country grossly violates international law.

The expert noted that any attraction of Armenians from other countries is a violation of international law.

He stressed that the international community recognizes Nagorno Karabakh, like other Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia, as an integral part of Azerbaijan, which is waging a war exclusively on its territory.

According to the expert, Sarkissian's hostile statements against Azerbaijanis, who are the indigenous inhabitants of these territories, don’t differ in any way from the appeal of the former leader of Serbia Milosevic.

Shandeb also noted that the international community must urgently stop the sending of Armenians from different countries to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Those Armenians who are sent for military purposes in the territory of Azerbaijan will be regarded as terrorists.

"I declare once again that the officials of Armenia who are involved in crimes against the Azerbaijani people should be brought to an international court," he said. “Azerbaijan has every right to liberate its territories from occupation, which, in principle, coincides with the requirements of the OSCE Minsk Group.”

"The statement of Sarkissian should also be regarded as inciting interethnic hatred towards Azerbaijanis. Moreover, it contradicts UN Security Council resolutions,” concluded the expert.

As earlier reported, on October 1, 2020, Armenian President Armen Sarkissian admitted in the interview to Al Jazeera that Armenians from different countries are fighting in the Nagorno- Karabakh conflict zone.

"They are ethnic Armenians and there is nothing wrong with the fact that, despite the fact that they are citizens of different countries, they are fighting in Nagorno Karabakh. We admit the participation of Armenians from different countries in the hostilities," Sarkissian said.

Armenian Armed Forces launched a large-scale military attack on positions of Azerbaijani army on the front line, using large-caliber weapons, mortars and artillery on Sept. 27.

Azerbaijan responded with a counter-offensive along the entire front. As a result of retaliation, Azerbaijani troops liberated a number of territories previously occupied by Armenia, as well as take important, strategic heights under control.

Military actions continued on Sept. 29 - Oct. 2. According to a statement from Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry, the Armenian armed forces have suffered heavy losses along the entire front line from Sept. 27 through Sept. 30, including tanks, armored vehicles, artillery installations, rocket launch systems, as well as command and observation posts, air defense systems, etc.

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, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

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