Presidential aide: Armenian diaspora financing terrorism in Azerbaijan’s occupied lands
By Vafa İsmayilova
Presidential aide Hikmat Hajiyev has said the Armenian diaspora is financing terrorism in Azerbaijan’s occupied lands, Azertag reported on November 6.
He added that Armenia finances its army by funds raised by its diaspora through NGOs and charity foundations to compensate losses on the battlefield.
“The Armenian diaspora has actively worked in this sphere over the past 30 years and deceived foreign taxpayers. Illegal funds were transferred to the so-called regime in Azerbaijan’s occupied lands without any mechanism of control, which means the financing of terrorism,” Hajiyev said.
He noted that contribution is made to further attacks against civilians through the funds channelled into the financing of the Armenian armed forces in Azerbaijan’s occupied lands.
“This is not the first case the Armenian diaspora abroad abuses the NGOs and charity foundations and channels the raised funds into the illegal activities on occupied territories, the strengthening of occupation and the arms purchase for the occupying army,” Hajiyev said.
He stressed that the relevant correspondence among the Armenians living abroad on social media proved the case.
Under the provisions of the 1999 International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, as well as UN Security Council Resolutions 1373 (2001), 2178 (2014), 2195 (2014) and 2347 (2017), the activities by non-commercial organizations in the above-mentioned sphere are assessed as financing terrorism and the states should take preventive measures to curb such cases.
“In this regard, I call on the UN member states to prevent their territories from being used for financing Armenian terrorism against our country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Hajiyev added.
The donation campaign “We are our borders – All for Artsakh”, the Armenia Fund, the Armenian General Benevolent Union, the Armenian Canadian Medical Association of Ontario, the Fund for Armenian Relief, the Tufenkian Foundation, the Armenian Relief Society etc. are mentioned among the organizations in question.
Ninety-two Azerbaijani civilians have been killed and hundreds of others have been injured in Armenia's indiscriminate missile attacks on Azerbaijani civilian settlements and cities. International human rights watchdogs Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have confirmed Armenia's use of forbidden munition in attacks on Azerbaijani civilians.
Tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan escalated on September 27 when Armenian armed forces deployed in the occupied Azerbaijani lands made military provocations against Azerbaijani civilian settlements and military positions. The ongoing clashes mark the most intense fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces since 1994 when a ceasefire was reached. Armenia's offensive prompted immediate Azerbaijan’s counter-attack measures.
In retaliation, Azerbaijani troops have so far liberated the occupied cities of Jabrayil, Fuzuli, Zangilan and Gubadli, as well as dozens of villages, settlements and strategic heights in the districts of Tartar, Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Khojavend, Zangilan, Gubadli and Kalbajar.
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