Azerbaijani diplomat: Azerbaijan continues to suffer from one of the highest proportions of refugees and displaced persons in the world as a result of Armenian aggression

Azerbaijan has addressed the 40th meeting of the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee in New York during the discussion about refugees, returnees and displaced persons and humanitarian questions in the world.

Farid Jafarov, Attaché of the Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan to the UN, stated that the aggression by Armenia against Azerbaijan resulted in occupation of almost one fifth of the territory of Azerbaijan, and made approximately one out of ever ninth person in the country internally displaced or a refugee. Azerbaijan continues to suffer from one of the highest proportions of refugees and displaced persons in the world.

“The Government had made a major effort to solve housing problems for the affected population, but still faced problems from the protracted conflict and, now that they had passed an emergency phase, the international community did not pay much attention”, he said adding, the rights of Azerbaijani citizens residing in Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts have been severely violated by their expulsion from occupied territories.

“Thus, the primary obligation upon Armenia is to ensure that the occupation of Azerbaijani territories is ended and that the various rights of the internally displaced persons of Azerbaijani ethnicity are recognized and implemented,” he said.

In their response statement, Armenian representatives couldn’t bring reliable arguments against Azerbaijan’s concerns, pointing out Baku’s oil opportunities.

Answering to the Armenian side, Azerbaijan’s representative mentioned that the government had used its oil revenues to alleviate the welfare of the refugee and internally displaced persons populations in the country, and “Armenia needed to renounce its policy of hatred and work on restoring relations”.


/APA/