Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Armenia has occupied part of Azerbaijan, calling it a security belt, Deputy Director General of the Information and Analytical Center at the Moscow State University, Alexander Karavaev, said in an article published on the Center's website, Azerbaijani media reported.

Commenting on the situation following the statements of Moldovan Ombudsman Aurelia Grigoriu on the occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia and violation of the rights of refugees and IDPs as a result of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Karavaev notes in his article titled "Normal work of the Ombudsman" that "in all officially discussed scenarios on the negotiated solution to the conflict, these territories of Azerbaijan will have to be returned".

Karavaev believes that different arguments may appear while determining the status of Karabakh or regarding demilitarization issues, but "the fact of occupation remains a fact", which Grigoriu said earlier.

While reporting to the parliament of Armenia early in July, the Moldovan Ombudsman said that Armenia's aggression against Azerbaijan, which has continued for more than 25 years, is accompanied by massive violations of basic human rights principles and generally accepted norms of international law. Grigoriu referred to facts substantiating her remarks and mentioned the United Nations Security Council's four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory, and the UN General Assembly resolution on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

According to her, Armenia's aggression against Azerbaijan has become the biggest obstacle on the way of development of the South Caucasus region and integration into Europe.

Karavaev wrote that if the European declarations and the practice of the Hague Tribunal courts on the former Yugoslavia are taken into account, it is apparent that Baku and Yerevan will face a certain set of commitments on their path toward the European Union, and these commitments will eventually "become a humanitarian-legal part of the political basis of reconciliation which over time will need to be fulfilled".

The analyst pointed out that one of these commitments would be recognition of the attack on Khojaly not just as "a sad episode of war", but as reprisal against peaceful civilians.

The Khojaly massacre is one of the most heinous and bloodiest events of the 20th century. Late into the night of February 25, 1992, the town of Khojaly came under intensive fire from the town of Khankendi and Askeran already occupied by Armenian armed forces. 613 civilians were killed, including 106 women, 70 elderly and 83 children, and a total of 1,000 civilians were disabled. Moreover, 1,275 innocent people were taken hostage.

Meanwhile, Otte Henning, a member of German Christian Democratic Union party and Bundestag Defense Committee, told the European Azerbaijani Society (TEAS) that the occupation of Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh territory is a violation of international law and Armenia must put an end to the occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh. According to him, this will enable the internally displaced persons to return to their homes.

"The occupation of Azerbaijani territory by Armenian armed forces has been ongoing for more than 20 years. Germany doesn't see any peaceful solution to this problem as of now. The UN Security Council has passed definite resolutions on this issue, and Germany supports the UNSC in this matter," Henning said.

Stressing Azerbaijan`s strategic regional position, the German MP expressed his country`s interest in strengthening relations with Azerbaijan.

For a real peace process, he said, it is necessary to normalize the relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

"So, concessions by Armenia are important conditions in this situation. The fake 'presidential elections' held last year in Nagorno-Karabakh were illegitimate. The purpose of these steps is not to hold real negotiations leading to valid results, but just to maintain the status quo," Henning said.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since a lengthy war in the early 1990s that displaced over one million Azerbaijanis, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions.

The UN Security Council's four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory have not been enforced to this day.

Russia, France and the U.S. have long been working to broker a solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through the OSCE Minsk Group, but their efforts have been largely fruitless so far.

Peace talks are underway on the basis of a peace outline proposed by the Minsk Group co-chairs and dubbed the Madrid Principles. The document envisions a return of the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani control; determining the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh; a corridor linking Armenia to the region; and the right of all internally displaced persons to return home.