UN circulates document condemning illegal elections in occupied Karabakh

By Akbar Mammadov

The United Nations have circulated a document that condemns illegal elections held in Azerbaijan’s occupied Nagorno-Karabkah conflict, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Leyla Abdullayeva said on 24 April.

The document is based on the letter sent by Azerbaijan’s Permanent Representative to the UN Secretary-General on April 15 and has been circulated as UN General Assembly and Security Council documents under agenda items 32, 37, 68, 70, 75 and 83 under titles “Protracted conflicts in the GUAM area and their implications for international peace, security and development”, "The situation in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan”, "Elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance", "Promotion and protection of human rights", "Responsibility of States for internationally wrongful acts" and "The rule of law at the national and international levels". 

The document points out to the fact the so-called elections in Nagorno-Karabakh was held 31 March – the Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis, commemorated in Azerbaijan in memory of those thousands of civilians killed as a result of Armenian offensives in 1918.

“No doubt, such an ostentatious and cynical action will serve for nothing but to deepen mistrust and narrow the already elusive prospects of peace and reconciliation", the letter reads.

The letter says that the “elections” were held despite the COVID-19 pandemic, thus once again vividly demonstrating that Armenia subordinates the well-being and safety of residents under occupation to political expediency, in total disregard of public morality and in violation of international humanitarian law.

"As a consequence, the first coronavirus cases in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan were reported immediately after these so-called “elections,” it said.

"The very fact of the statement made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia is yet another proof that the “elections” in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan were staged by Armenia in an attempt to give the puppet regime it has set up in those territories the appearance of some kind of legitimacy. Evidently, this attempt has failed", reads the document.

The document also stresses that the “elections” were held in an environment of total illegitimacy, which stems from the continuing military occupation and ethnic cleansing of the territories of Azerbaijan and a clear violation of the Constitution and legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the norms and principles of international law.

"The international community once again has overwhelmingly reaffirmed its consistent and principled position of collective non-recognition of the situation resulting from the occupation of the territories of Azerbaijan by rejecting and invalidating the so-called “elections”, which thus have no effect whatsoever", the letter reads.

"Armenia must realize the lack of any prospect of its attempts to mislead the international community as to the essence, causes and consequences of the war it unleashed, refrain from wasting time to make irrelevant and out-of-context statements in the future and engage faithfully in the conflict settlement process", Azerbaijani Representative concludes.