By Azernews

By Akbar Mammadov

Chairman of Pakistan’s National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) Ali Nawaz Chowhan has condemned the so-called "parliamentary and presidential elections" to be held in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, the Pakistan media reported on March 30.

Ali Nawaz Chowhan said that holding of election by Armenia in occupied Nagorno-Karabakh is against all international norms because the region is illegally occupied by Armenia.

“I strongly condemn the holding of so called “parliamentary elections” and “presidential elections” of the illegal regime, established by Armenia in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh territory of Azerbaijan by the occupying forces of Armenia, which are to be held on March 31, 2020, and join my government and the UN in support of Azerbaijan. I also once again condemn the genocide committed by Armenia in the town of Khojaly against Azerbaijani civilians. Armenia will be accountable for its aggression and Genocide," said Ali Nawaz Chowhan.

Nagorno-Karabakh is Azerbaijan’s breakaway region, which along with seven adjacent regions was occupied by Armenian forces in a war in the early 1990s. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and around one million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France has been mediating the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict since the signing of the volatile cease-fire agreement in 1994. The Minsk Group’s efforts have resulted in no progress and to this date, Armenia has failed to abide by the UN Security Council resolutions (822, 853, 874 and 884) that demand the withdrawal of Armenian military forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.