Azerbaijani NGOs send appeal to OSCE MG on illegal resettlement of Armenians to Nagorno-Karabakh

By Trend

A number of NGOs in Azerbaijan sent an appeal to OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs Stephane Visconti (France), Andrew Shofer (USA), Igor Popov (Russia) and international organizations regarding the illegal resettlement of Armenian population to the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, occupied by Armenia, Trend reports with reference to the appeal.

"According to our observations, Armenia is making attempts to illegally resettle the Armenian population from some Middle Eastern countries to Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent districts of Azerbaijan, which are internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan," the letter said.

"The illegal activities of the aggressor-Armenia in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and our adjacent territories, as well as the policy of illegal settlement, are discussed among many Azerbaijani NGOs and we decided to appeal to international organizations," the NGOs wrote.

"This is not the first time that Armenia, using the situation in the region for its purposes, has attempted to illegally resettle the Armenian population from some Middle Eastern countries to Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent districts of Azerbaijan. This process has started from the time of Tsarist Russia, accelerated during the Soviet period and still continues nowadays," the appeal said.

"The fact of illegal settlement carried out by Armenia is also recorded in the reports of the OSCE fact-finding missions of 2005. The OSCE has sent fact-finding missions to the occupied lands twice and the report of these missions approved organized resettlement of Armenians to Karabakh. Furthermore, majority of our historical and religious monuments have been destroyed by Armenia. Our mosques, graves have been destroyed and our museums have been ravaged,” he added. Azerbaijan restored an Armenian church in Baku and more than 5,000 books in Armenian language are kept in this church. This is the difference: their actions and our attitude," the appeal said.

"Of course, these actions by Armenia are a gross violation of international humanitarian law, as well as the 1949 Geneva Convention and its additional protocols. The goal of the occupier Armenia is to artificially increase the number of Armenians in these lands, change the ethnic and cultural characteristics of the territories, and thereby carry out the annexation policy. According to the Rome Statute which regulated the International Criminal Court, it is also constitutes as a war crime," the appeal read.

"These facts are not raised only by Azerbaijani side. According to Any Meljumyan, from Euriasianet.org, following a devastating explosion in Beirut, the Armenian government prepared an aid package to help ethnic Armenians in Lebanon emigrate to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. More than 1,300 Lebanese-Armenians have flown to Armenia and Karabakh as of September 2; 850 intend to stay long-term, Chief Commissioner of Diaspora issues Zareh Sinanyan told the news website Hetq," the letter said.

"On September 1, 2020, the government of Armenia, began considering an aid plan to assist the repatriated from Lebanon, Sinanyan said. The package would include health, education, and social assistance and housing support, he said," the letter said.

"Several more Lebanese-Armenian families have moved to Nagorno-Karabakh, according to the “leader of separatists", Arayik Harutyunyan. The authorities have allocated 25 million drams ($50,000) and another 17 million drams ($35,000) from another humanitarian fund to help with the resettlement. Azerbaijani officials have objected to the resettlement to Karabakh, which is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan," the letter said.

"The fact of illegal resettlement is also proved by Armenian ordinary migrant families which are being resettled to Karabakh by Armenian government. It is quite possible, that families even didn’t know that, their movement to Karabakh, organized by Armenian Republic is completely illegal and contradicts all related international humanitarian law rules (Here is the link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Smk4GN2qmz0&feature=emb_title). We, a number of NGOs in Azerbaijan, appealing to the international community to help to stop this illegal process and violation of international humanitarian law and committing a war crimes by Armenian Republic. OSCE Minsk Group of Co-Chairs, should immediately react to the process of illegal resettlement of Armenians to Nagorno-Karabakh occupied region of Azerbaijan," the appeal said.

The appeal was signed by the following:

Mr. Ramil Isgandarli – Head of the Legal Analysis and Research Public Union

Mr. Vugar Ahmadov – Head of the Azerbaijani-American Youth Association

Mr. Ayaz Mirzayev – Head of the Azerbaijan Journalists Network Public Union

Ms. Shalala Hasanova – Head of the “Support to the Development of Public Relations” Public Union

Mr. Sabuhi Abbasov – Head of the Azerbaijani-Slavic Youth Association Public Union

Ms. Nushaba Mammadova – Head of the International Dialogue and Development Alliance Public Union

Ms. Irada Rizazade – Head of the Public Association “Social Welfare for the Citizens”

Ms. Shahla Nagiyeva – Head of the “Unquenchable Flame” Cultural Relations Public Union

Mr. Fakhraddin Hasanzada – Head of the "Youth Education Center" Public Union

Ms. Maryam Taghiyeva - Zeynalova – Intergration of Azerbaijani Youth to Europe Organization Public Union

Ms. Maryam Majidova – Head of the National Assembly of Youth Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan Public Union

Mr. Umud Mirzayev – Head of the International Eurasia Press Fund

Mr. Fuad Huseynzade – Head of the Journalists' Support for Diaspora Activities Public Union

Ms. Novella Jafarova – Head of the Association for the Protection of Women's Rights named after Dilara Aliyeva

Ms. Saadat Bananyarli – Head of the Azerbaijan National Section of International Society for Human Rights Public Union

Mr. Farid Shahbazli – Head of the Young Reformers Public Union of Azerbaijan

Ms. Saida Gojamanli – Head of the “Public Union for the Protection of Human Rights and Law Order”

Mr. Toghrul Allahverdili – Head of the Diaspora Information and Awareness Public Union

Mr. Fuad Abbasov – Head of the “Misra” Information Exchange and Initiatives Public Union

Mr. Ahmad Aliyev – Head of the Youth Public Union for Democratic Azerbaijan.