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AzerNEWS Staff

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Azerbaijan's eradication of separatism in its sovereign territories in September 2023 and the termination of decades-long illegality were a historic event in terms of the restoration of international law. However, this reality created an unexpected shock effect for some Western institutions, especially the European Parliament (EP) and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). As President Ilham Aliyev emphasized in his trenchant speech at the European Political Community Summit, Azerbaijan turned UN resolutions, which had remained on paper and unexecuted for 30 years, into reality through its own strength. It is noteworthy that the activation of sanction mechanisms against Azerbaijan by these institutions just four months after this just step is an indicator of a deep moral crisis in the system of international relations.

Today, the position demonstrated by European structures is a provocation directed not only against Azerbaijan but against global principles of justice in general. While Azerbaijani lands groaned under occupation for thirty years and more than one million people were displaced from their native homes, the European Parliament and PACE did not think about applying any serious sanctions. This inactivity shown against Armenia's aggressive policy effectively served as a guarantee that the criminal would go unpunished. This approach served to encourage separatism and occupation not only in the region but throughout the entire world. Now, when Azerbaijan has rid itself of the scourge of separatism through its own strength and begun peaceful construction work, the reintroduction of expressions like "Nagorno-Karabakh," which have already vanished into the archives of history, by these institutions is direct proof that they stand by separatism.

In any country in the world, separatism is considered one of the gravest state crimes, and the penalties applied for it are extremely severe. Even in Armenia's own domestic legislation, steps taken against state integrity are punished in the harshest form. Azerbaijan has also taken measures within the framework of the law precisely against individuals who, for many years, financed terrorism and separatism, created illegal armed groups, and conspired against the constitutional order. However, the attempt by European structures to portray these criminals as "political prisoners" or "prisoners of war" is legal nonsense. Thus, this argument is self-refuting in any case and exposes itself as it tries to justify itself. If these individuals are truly prisoners of war, as these organizations claim, it means that Armenia has waged a formal war of occupation against Azerbaijan for 30 years. Then the question arises: why have the EP and PACE not adopted a single trenchant document condemning Armenia's aggression during these years? This is the most despicable form of double standards.

We see the same selective approach in the issue of the "right of return" of Armenians. Azerbaijan has repeatedly declared that—as is a known fact—Azerbaijan is a multi-ethnic country and is one of the rare countries in the world where there is no discrimination on an ethnic basis. Dozens of nations live in Azerbaijan, one of which is the Armenians. Even during the most heated times of the war, 30,000 Armenians lived in Azerbaijan. While the Karabakh conflict was active, the sister of the Armenian defense minister lived in Azerbaijan and faced no problems. To put it briefly, Azerbaijan has not had, does not have, and will not have a problem with any ethnic group. Armenians living in Karabakh could have been our citizens, and state guarantees were provided for their security. The departure of individuals who did not wish to obtain an Azerbaijani passport from the region of their own volition after the separatist regime dissolved itself can in no way be portrayed as ethnic cleansing. In that case, why is the right of return of more than 300,000 Azerbaijanis and Muslim Kurds, who were brutally expelled from Armenia 30 years ago, not remembered? Are their rights insignificant for Europe because they are Muslims?

The hypocrisy regarding the issue of cultural heritage is at its peak. While the Armenian church in the very center of Baku is protected and restored by the state, hundreds of mosques, shrines, and historical monuments have been razed to the ground in the territory of Armenia and in our formerly occupied lands. Where was the European Parliament when outrages such as the conversion of mosques into animal stables occurred? Shedding crocodile tears today for "Armenian monuments" against the backdrop of this silence is a moral bankruptcy. As the President noted, double standards have already become the operating method, or "modus operandi," of these institutions. However, it must not be forgotten that Azerbaijan's territorial integrity is as sacred as the integrity of any other country, and we will continue to protect our national interests in matters where we have no obligation to report to anyone. Today, the severing of relations with Azerbaijan is a great loss not for our country, but precisely for the European institutions that have lost their reputation and their scales of justice.