World Refugee Day marked in Baku

 World Refugee Day has today kicked off in International Mugam Center, Baku. The event was co-organized by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Government of Azerbaijan.

Addressing the event, chairman of the Azerbaijan’s State Committee on Refugees and IDPs Ali Hasanov said that declaring June 20 as the World Refugee Day, the UN General Assembly aimed to draw the world’s attention to this problem. “As a person addressing this problem long years, I consider that this is one of the most painful problems of the world. Unfortunately, the number of conflict zones and refugees increase year by year.”
Hasanov said currently there were more than 42 million refugees and internally displaced persons in the world. 15.2 million of them are refugees, 26.4 million – internally displaced persons, 895 thousand – asylum seekers. “Unfortunately there are no international rules and conventions determining the status of internally displaced persons. We consider that it is high time to determine the status of IDPs and to set rules determining their rights.”

Chairman of the Azerbaijan’s State Committee on Refugees and IDPs called on the Western countries to impose corresponding sanctions against the current and previous leaders of Armenia. “Kocharyan and Sargsyan led the occupation of Azerbaijani lands, perpetration of Khojaly genocide, deportation of people. Why same sanctions are not imposed against these persons? If imposing sanctions is objective, it should concern everyone.”

Hasanov said that the Ministry of National Security produced a documentary on the basis of archive materials: “These facts demonstrate real faces of Armenians to the whole world. I asked the minister to translate this material into English. We will show this film all over the world.”

Then, a video appeal of UN Good Will Ambassador, actress Angelina Jolie was demonstrated.
UNHCR representative in Azerbaijan Dag Sigurdson also mentioned that the World Refugee Day is marked all over the world. Recalling all efforts made by the Azerbaijani Government for the solution of IDP problems, Sigurdson also said that if even the tent camps were removed, more than 400 thousand IDP are living in very difficult conditions.

The handcrafts made by Azerbaijani refugees were demonstrated at the exhibition within the event.


/AzerTAc/