Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan in focus of Baku Forum

By Azernews

By Rashid Shirinov

The 4th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue, which was held in Baku on May 4-6, discussed a number of important global issues – human security, sustainable development, migration, intercultural and inter-religious dialogue, fight against extremism and many others.

Ways of resolving existing conflicts was among the main topics addressed at the Forum, which put a special emphasis on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Azerbaijani president’s aide for public and political affairs Ali Hasanov, who took part at the 4th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue, pointed to the double standards saying that if the UN once shows its will to implement its resolutions, the Azerbaijani lands occupied by Armenia will be liberated.

“Armenia has not yet implemented the four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts,” he said at the panel session of the 4th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue, titled “Inclusive dialogue in period of polarization.

“Armenia has its own approach and there are countries in the UN Security Council which support it,” he said, adding that the patrons of Armenia prevent timely imposing of sanctions against the country.

During military campaign of 1992 and 1993, Armenia has occupied 20 percent of the Azerbaijani territory. As an outcome of the war, over 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and more than one million of people have been subjected to the ethnic cleansing by Armenia.

The United Nations Security Council, the highest international body, four times adopted resolutions, which demand immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian troops from the occupied territories. For more than 20 years these resolutions have not been implemented.

Armenia ignores them and violates brutally international law and decisions of Security Council and there is no mechanism to force the aggressor to comply with the resolutions.

Deputy Head of Azerbaijani presidential administration, chief of the administration’s foreign relations department Novruz Mammadov touched upon the topic as he addressed the panel session titled “Development of peaceful relations through intercultural dialogue”.

“Azerbaijan, having one million refugees, was able to build an independent state. However, no one is interested in the origin of this problem of refugees," he stressed. "Azerbaijani lands have been under Armenia’s occupation for more than 25 years. However, no country expresses a concrete position over this.”

Mammadov noted the importance of finding the root causes of conflicts.

 “The documents, covering the events which occurred 20-30 years ago, are being archived,” he said. “Big powers try to solve problems among themselves, while small ones are waiting for what will happen. But even if one person is still fighting for the truth, then it makes sense to remain optimistic. If there is no comprehensive approach, then the observance of international law will be impossible and tension will still be observed in the world.”

 Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, addressing a plenary session titled “Promoting Dialogue and Building Bridges as a Tool to Preventing Violent Extremism” at the Forum, reminded that Azerbaijan went through a horrible terror.

“My country suffered from a terrible terror. We will not be able to defeat terrorism without cooperation,” said the minister.

The most vivid example of many terrible atrocities carried out by the Armenians is the Khojaly genocide, committed in 1992 against innocent Azerbaijanis in this town of Nagorno-Karabakh. Khojaly is the most striking example of the fact that Armenia is pursuing a policy of terrorism at the national level.

As many as 613 civilians, mostly women and children, were killed in that massacre, and a total of 1,000 people were disabled. Eight families were exterminated, 25 children lost both parents, and 130 children lost one parent. Moreover, 1,275 innocent people were taken hostage, and the fate of 150 people remains unknown. Civilians were shot at close range, scalped, and burned alive.

Moreover, since the late 80s, Armenian terrorist organizations and intelligence agencies, including ASALA, have committed more than 32 terrorist attacks in the transport system and other public facilities of Azerbaijan.