Azernews.Az

By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijani Prosecutor General Kamran Aliyev has appealed to a number of international organizations over increased tensions around Azerbaijan’s occupied Nagorno-Karabakh.

The appeals state that for more than thirty years as a result of the Armenian occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven adjacent regions of Azerbaijan and the policy of ethnic cleansing more than one million Azerbaijanis were forced to leave their native lands. Four resolutions of the UN Security Council on the unconditional and immediate withdrawal of Armenian troops from our occupied territories have not yet been implemented.

Kamran Aliyev noted that since September 27, Armenia violated the ceasefire and started a heavy shelling of the Azerbaijan civilian population, which resulted in gross number of civilian casualties. Thus, in order to prevent military aggression and ensure protection the civil population, counter-offensive measures have been taken by the Azerbaijan Armed Forces.

As a consequence of missile attacks of the second largest city Ganja, and Beylagan city, which are far from the frontline, 3 civilians were killed, 34 wounded and many houses and infrastructure were seriously damaged. It should be noted that a criminal case has been launched, and the criminal proceeding is now ongoing, against Arayik Arutunyan, "head" of the illegitimate so-called "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic", who announced the crime in advance on his Facebook page.

Likewie, Ozal Hasanov, one of Azerbaijani officers carrying out all necessary investigative measures in combat conditions, was seriously wounded and needed surgical intervention.

It was brought to the attention of the international community that by disseminating information about striking at the Mingachevir Hydro Power Station located in the territory of Azerbaijan and standing in front of a large water basin the military-political leadership of aggressor Armenia has clearly demonstrated its true intentions. It was also emphasized that the implementation of this threat would lead to mass casualties and a great tragedy.

Moreover, the appeals state that actions by the Armenian leadership pursuing an aggressive policy within the recently announced military doctrine "new war for new territories" are aimed at demographic changes in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan through the resettlement of ethnic Armenians-mercenaries from a number of foreign countries, which are a clear violation of the Geneva Conventions.

Additionally, Prosecutor General stressed in the appeals that the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must be resolved within the framework of international law in accordance with the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and the inviolability of its internationally recognized borders.

The appeal stated that more than one million Azerbaijanis were forced to leave their native lands, already for more than thirty years, as a result of the Armenian occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions of Azerbaijan and the policy of ethnic cleansing.

It was noted that there are four resolutions of the UN Security Council that call on the unconditional and immediate withdrawal of Armenian troops from occupied territories of Azerbaijan, which have not yet been implemented.

The appeal requested to influence Armenia through appropriate methods and means to settle the conflict at this level.

Aliyev’s appeals were addressed to L.V.Yermolayev, Secretary of the Coordinating Council of Prosecutors General of the CIS member states, Cheol-Kyu Hwang, President of the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP), Han Moral, Secretary General of the IAP, Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, the Council of Europe High Commissioner for Human Rights, Hadi Soleimanpour, the Secretary General of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), and Baghdad Amreyev, the Secretary General of the Turkic Council.

Armenian armed forces launched a large-scale operation in the front-line zone on September 27 at 6 am, shelling the positions of the Azerbaijani army from large-calibre weapons, mortars, and artillery installations of various calibres.

On October 4, Armenia launched missile attack on Ganja, Azerbaijan's second largest populated city, killing one civilian and injuring dozens. There were also attacks on Mingachevir city that has a hydroelectric power station as well as on Khizi and Abheron region on the same day.

Twenty seven civilians have been killed and 141 others have been injured since the outbreak of large-scale hostilities on September 27, after Armenia launched another attack along the line of contact. Among the civilians are three children. As a result of the shelling of civilian infrastructure facilities by the occupying country's armed forces, 376 houses, as well as 63 civilian facilities were severely damaged.

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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