Immortalizing its victory in Karabakh war Azerbaijan’s moral right
By Vafa Ismayilova
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry has said that it is Baku’s moral right to immortalize its victory in the Karabakh war through parades, parks, museums and other means.
The ministry made the remarks after the opening of the Military Trophy Park opening in Baku on April 12.
“As is widely accepted in world practice, it is our moral right to immortalize this glorious victory forever through parades, parks, museums and other means. With regard to the mannequins of Armenian servicemen who took part in the war exhibited in the park, there is an experience of exhibiting mannequins in military museums in many countries around the world. The message of this Park and the compositions exhibited here is unequivocal: the great Victory over the policy of aggression against the state and the illegal occupation is a triumph of international law," the ministry said in a statement published in its official website.
Commenting on Armenia’s critical response to the opening of the park, the ministry said that "The hysteria of the Armenian Foreign Ministry over the opening of the Military Trophy Park in the capital Baku and the demonstration of trophies and destroyed military equipment during the 44-day Patriotic War show that the country's attempts to blackmail Azerbaijan have no limits.”
The ministry said that Azerbaijan has liberated its territories illegally occupied for almost 30 years, with the right granted by international law, as a result of the Patriotic War and has ensured its territorial integrity at the expense of the blood and lives of Azerbaijan's sons.
"As for the Armenian Foreign Ministry's allegations of looting and hatred, the consequences of the purposeful policy of destruction and looting committed by Armenia at the state level in our liberated territories are in front of the eyes of the whole world today. Statement of a country that has destroyed our historical, cultural and religious heritage, plundered our natural resources and appropriated the property of one million people for 30 years by violating their fundamental rights is off-limits. A country that erected a statue to the fascist executioner Garegin Nzhdeh in Yerevan, heroization of Monte Melkonian, the international terrorist who has the blood of Azerbaijanis of First Karabakh War in his hands, and erected a monument of Soghomon Tehlirian stepping on the severed head has no right to speak of hatred," the ministry added.
It urged the Armenian Foreign Ministry to abstain from the rhetoric of lies and slander with regards to the so-called prisoners of war subject.
"We once again advise the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia to refrain from the rhetoric full of lies and slander on the issue of 'prisoners of war' expressed at every opportunity. As we have repeatedly stated, members of the sabotage group sent to Azerbaijan for terrorist purposes a month after the trilateral statement signed by the Armenian government cannot be considered 'prisoners of war'. Azerbaijan is always committed to its obligations, taking all necessary measures to implement the joint statement of November 10, 2020, including the return of Armenian prisoners of war to Armenia in a short period," the statement noted.
The ministry stressed that by its slander campaign against Azerbaijan, Armenia demonstrates its ongoing hostile stance and unpreparedness for the normalization of ties.
"Armenia instead of apologizing for its disruptive activities in violation of the trilateral agreement, with its baseless allegations, as well as false and slanderous campaign against Azerbaijan show that this country is still hostile, unprepared for normalization of relations based on international law, and thus it didn’t infer conclusions from what has happened in near past," the ministry said.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev opened the Military Trophy Park on April 12. More than 300 exhibits are displayed in the park, including up to 150 pieces of heavy equipment, tanks, combat vehicles, artillery installations, anti-aircraft missile systems, small arms and military vehicles. The fragments of Iskander-M missiles are also on display.
The clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan resumed after Armenia launched large-scale attacks on Azerbaijani forces and civilians on September 27.
The 44 days of war ended with the Russian brokered peace deal signed on November 10 by the Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders.
The peace agreement ended the 30-year-old conflict between Baku and Yerevan over Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region that along with the seven adjacent districts came under the occupation of Armenian armed forces in the war in the early 1990s.
For about three decades, Armenia failed to implement the UN Security Council resolutions demanding the withdrawal of the Armenian troops, which was the main obstacle to the resolution of the conflict.
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