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Azerbaijan decries occupation, destruction of Shusha

8 May 2020 14:10 (UTC+04:00)
Azerbaijan decries occupation, destruction of Shusha

By Akbar Mammadov

Azerbaijan has the right to regain control of its Armenian-occupied territories and the only way to achieve the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is through restorations of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, the Foreign Ministry stated in its official website on May 8.

The ministry made the statement on the 28th anniversary of the occupation of Shusha city in Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh region on 8 May, 1992.

"The achievement of that objective [restoration of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity] is a must, not a compromise. Azerbaijan considers no political solution to the conflict beyond this framework and participates in the settlement process on the basis of this understanding.

"If the negotiations fail to bring as an outcome the ending occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia, Azerbaijan retains its inherent rights under the UN Charter to ensure the restoration of its sovereignty and territorial integrity within the internationally recognized borders", the statement reads.

The ministry reminded that after ethnically cleansing Azerbaijanis in Shusha and occupying the city, Armenia is destroying the historical and cultural heritage of Azerbaijan and gradually changes the cultural image of the city.

“Thus, thousands of people have been illegally resettled in Shusha. The Yukhary Govheraga (Juma) Mosque, built by the order of Govharaga, the daughter of Karabakh ruler Ibrahim Khan, is "restored" by the Armenians and presented as a Persian one. All these clearly demonstrate the intentions of the occupiers to shadow the fact that Shusha is a prominent Azerbaijani city".

The Ministry stressed that the Armenia has to understand that all these attempts have no prospects and that the occupation is temporary.

"The Nagorno-Karabakh is an internationally recognized part of Azerbaijan. This region has always been and will remain an inalienable part of Azerbaijan", the statement reads.

"According to the position of all international organizations and states, in particular, the resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council, Nagorno-Karabakh recognized as an integral part of Azerbaijan and immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of occupying forces from all the occupied territories of Azerbaijan is demanded", the ministry added.

The Foreign Ministry highlighted the fact that Azerbaijan is the most interested party in the negotiated settlement of the conflict and ensuring lasting peace in the region.

Furthermore, the ministry emphasized that the objective of the ongoing negotiations process on the settlement of the conflict is to ensure the withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent districts of Azerbaijan, the restoration of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan within its internationally recognized borders and the return of IDPs to their homes.

It should be noted that Armenian armed forces occupied Shusha on 8 may, 1992. As a result of the occupation, 195 civilians were killed and 165 were injured. 114 Azerbaijanis captured by Armenians and detained in Shusha prison were later killed with special cruelty, 58 residents of the city are still missing. Before Shusha was occupied, about 25,000 people lived there, of which more than 24,000 people of Shusha have been become internally displaced persons and settled in 58 regions of Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan and Armenia are locked in a conflict over Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh breakaway region, which along with seven adjacent regions was occupied by Armenian forces in a war in the early 1990s. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and around one million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France has been mediating the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict since the signing of the volatile cease-fire agreement in 1994. The Minsk Group’s efforts have resulted in no progress and to this date, Armenia has failed to abide by the UN Security Council resolutions (822, 853, 874 and 884) that demand the withdrawal of Armenian military forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

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Akbar Mammadov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AkbarMammadov97

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz

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