Day: October 2, 2023
“The Western Azerbaijan Community welcomes the complete restoration of the state sovereignty and constitutional order in the Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan, achieved through the dissolution of the illegal regime and the disarmament of Armenia’s armed forces and other illegal armed groups and their withdrawal from Azerbaijani territory, as an epochal event,” the Community said in a statement, according to Azerbaijan in Focus, reporting AzerTac.
The statement says: “The Community extends its heartfelt congratulations to the entire Azerbaijani people on this historical accomplishment under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev.
The restoration of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty not only represents a triumph of justice but also paves the way for establishment of the enduring peace in the region.
Grounded in values of human rights, reconciliation and coexistence, the Western Azerbaijan Community – while wholeheartedly supporting the establishment of peace between the two states – remains resolute in its mission to ensure the peaceful, safe, and dignified return of Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia to their homes, within the framework of international law.
The Community is hopeful that the Armenian society and government will assess this historical opportunity correctly and opt for the path of peace, cooperation, and coexistence, rather than the one marked by confrontation and isolation.
In this context, the Community expresses serious concerns about Armenia’s continued policy of rejecting cultural diversity, reintegration, and coexistence. It is well known that Armenia’s opposition to the reintegration of Karabakh Armenians into Azerbaijan was rooted in its territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Another significant motivation behind Armenia’s opposition is its inhumane calculation that successful reintegration and coexistence of ethnic Armenians in Azerbaijan would strengthen the prospects for the return of Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia.
Hence, following the collapse of the illegal regime in Karabakh, Armenia orchestrated the relocation of Armenians from that region to Armenia, preventing their inevitable reintegration into Azerbaijan. To further complicate matters, the remnants of the Armenian military, before leaving Karabakh, massively landmines in civil infrastructure, administrative buildings, individual residences, and cultivated fields, rendering the area uninhabitable. The reason is evident: Armenia, which has not abandoned its mono-ethnic policy, is unwilling to allow representatives of the two peoples to coexist, either in Armenia or in Azerbaijan.
The Western Azerbaijan Community strongly condemns this racist approach by Armenia’s government.
The Community appeals to the international community to exert pressure on Armenia so that it chooses the path of peace, supports coexistence and reconciliation between the two peoples, ends its ideology of mono-ethnic society, and provides accurate maps of landmines and other explosive devices it planted in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, including the areas from which ethnic Armenians recently moved.”
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A United Nations mission arrived in Nagorno-Karabakh on Sunday for the first time in over 30 years, according to Azerbaijan in Focus, reporting Daily Sabah, citing the Azerbaijan officials.
The mission arrives as a majority of Armenians there traveled toward their homeland, after Baku last week freed the territory from three-decade occupation by Armenian separatist groups.
An Azerbaijani presidency spokesman told AFP that a “U.N. mission arrived in Karabakh on Sunday morning” – mainly to assess humanitarian needs.
It marks the first time in about 30 years that the international body has gained access to the region.
The Armenian separatists agreed to disarm, dissolve their government and reintegrate with Baku following a one-day Azerbaijani offensive last week.
Baku is now holding reintegration talks with separatist leaders while, at the same time detaining some senior figures from its former self-proclaimed government and military command.
Nearly all of Karabakh’s estimated 120,000 Armenians left over the following days, despite Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev’s pledges that his country would protect their rights, in line with the country’s laws and international obligations.
Earlier Friday, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies announced an emergency appeal for 20 million Swiss Francs ($22 million) to help those fleeing.
Azerbaijani President Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, in the meanwhile, are set to meet on Thursday in the Spanish city of Granada for Western-mediated talks aimed at ending their historic enmity.
On September 19, Azerbaijan launched a counterterrorism operation to “restore constitutional structure” in Karabakh, nearly three years after fighting a brief but brutal war with Armenia over the mountainous region.
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