Doğum qeydiyyatı
02-11-2020 | 17:34 397
Mr. Fikrat Mammadov, the Minister of Justice addressed an appeal to the President and Secretary General of the European Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, an influential body responsible for local self-government in Europe, in close cooperation with the ministry, regarding Armenia's military provocations against our country, especially war crimes against peaceful population.
The appeal draws the attention of the world community to the bitter consequences of the 30-year-old Armenian-Azerbaijani military conflict, the occupation of our historical lands - Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions and expulsion of Azerbaijanis from their ancestral lands, who were subject to ethnic cleansing. And therefore, it was reported that it was impossible to establish the municipal institute in our lands occupied by Armenians and that our IDP compatriots had been completely deprived of the right to local self-government for many years.
It was brought to the attention that, Armenia has repeatedly prolonged the settlement of the conflict through negotiations within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group under various pretexts, ignored the implementation of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for the immediate, full and unconditional withdrawal of its armed forces from the occupied territories, exploited the rich natural resources of the occupied territories, carried out illegal economic activity and illegal settlement by continuing status-quo useful for it.
It was said that, speeches of the new leadership of Armenia, which grossly violated the norms of international law, including the Geneva Conventions of 1949, with slogans of open aggression and the silence of the international community regarding it encouraged the aggressor to intensify military provocations.
It was noted that, all this was brought to the attention of the world community with relevant facts during the speech of the President Mr. Ilham Aliyev at the 75th session of the UN General Assembly.
The appeal states that, in response to the military provocations launched by the Armenian armed forces against our settlements and civilians, Azerbaijan carried out counter-offensive operations to force the aggressor to peace basing on the self-defence right in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter, fought for his native lands and only on his own territory without any outside support.
It is noted that, not only military men, but also 91 civilians, including 11 children have been killed and more than 400 have been injured so far as a result of Armenia's deliberate firing on our military positions, especially settlements and civilians with heavy artillery, about 3,000 residential buildings and civil objects,
including maternity hospital, kindergartens, schools, district court building, etc., were destroyed or severely damaged, as well as oil pipelines, which play an important role in Europe's energy security, were fired upon.
As a manifestation of the enemy's inhumane actions against our civilian population, the densely populated cities of Ganja and Barda, far from the battlefield, were shelled with cluster bombs and ballistic missiles, killing 47 people and injuring more than 200 people.
The Ministry of Justice, as a responsible body for municipalities’ activities, informed the Congress that, among the dead and injured were mayors, including a woman, and that three municipal buildings were severely damaged and the property of more than 30 municipal members and employees was damaged.
It was noted that even members of the diplomatic corps visiting the cities subjected to Armenian terror came under artillery fire. The cowardly attacks by the enemy were carried out in the conditions of the agreed humanitarian ceasefire.
The UN Secretary-General and the European Union have issued statements condemning the attacks on populated areas, saying they are absolutely unacceptable and calling for an end to the shelling of civilians and facilities.
However, ignoring international norms and challenges, Armenia does not stop targeting the civilian population, and the number of civilians killed and injured is growing as such rocket attacks continue in many Azerbaijani cities.
At the same time, the enemy aims to expand the geography of the conflict and involve third countries in hostilities by dropping missile strikes from the territory of their country.
The appeal stressed the need for immediate implementation of UN Security Council resolutions and other similar decisions of leading international organizations such as the OSCE, the Council of Europe, the European Parliament and the Non-Aligned Movement, and the full application of international law to restore justice.
It was stated that, as stated by the President Mr. Ilham Aliyev, despite its clear advantage on the battlefield, Azerbaijan does not want bloodshed for the sake of saving lives of people and supports peace talks for a political solution to the conflict.
The Minister of Justice expressed hope that the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities would raise its voice to restore justice, peace and tranquility, to prevent crimes against humanity and war, taking into account high prestige, wide geography and representation of the Congress.
The ministry also sent similar appeals to the chairmen of the Chambers, which are leading bodies of the Congress, which represent more than 150,000 local and regional governments, and to the heads of delegations from 45 member states of the
Council of Europe, for the purpose of bringing the realities of Armenia's occupation to the attention of the wider world.
