I am very concerned about the fighting has started in
Latvia-friendly Azerbaijan. For
several days, the Azerbaijan military, in response to another military
adventure of the Armenian political leadership, has been conducting a counter-offensive
liberation operation
against Armenian forces on its sovereign territory, aimed at restoring
sovereignty and internationally
recognized territorial integrity and for the liberation of its territory occupied 30 years
ago. Azerbaijan
exercises the right to individual self-defense provided for in article 51 of
the UN Charter clearing its territory from illegal foreign military presence.
in the early 1990s, Armenian military forces occupied the
territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven border administrative regions of
independent Azerbaijan (equal for 20 percent of the country's part), which are
geographically larger than Nagorno-Karabakh itself.
As a result of an ethnic cleansing policy by the Armenian
military formations, almost a million Azerbaijanis were expelled from these
areas. Later, they had to live in tent cities for many years. Moreover, in
February 1992, Armenia committed a real bloody genocide in the small town of
Khojaly in the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, where more than 600 Azerbaijani
civilians, including women, the elderly, and children, were barbarously killed
based on ethnicity in one day. Under international law, people who have
become refugees and internally displaced persons have the right to return to
their homes, return their property, and visit their loved ones' graves.
Negotiations with Armenia on the return of these territories to Azerbaijan have
been conducted since the beginning of the 1990s with the OSCE Minsk Group
mediation specially created for this purpose, co-chaired by the United States,
France, and Russia
in 1993 the UN Security Council adopted four resolutions
calling for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the occupying
Armenian armed groups from all the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.
"So far, the negotiations have been unsuccessful due to Armenia's
dangerous position, which grossly violates the norms of international law and ignores
the UN Security Council resolutions. To some extent, the international
community must also take responsibility for the deterioration of the two
countries' situations. The European Union has also been very passive in
protecting the Republic of Azerbaijan's sovereignty and internationally
recognized territorial integrity. The actions were insufficient and
ineffective. I believe that the leading officials of the occupying
country-Armenia - should have been sanctioned as long as they pursue a policy
of illegal occupation of foreign lands. I think that sanctions should be
applied to the leading officials of the occupying country - Armenia, as long as
they pursue a policy of illegal occupation of foreign lands. It is the feeling
of impunity arising from the inaction of the international community that
prompted the Armenian leadership to take the latest military adventure, which
is a logical continuation of their destructive and provocative policy.
For their part, European Union politicians should be decisive
and prioritize the territorial integrity of sovereign states. The war between
Azerbaijan and Armenia can be stopped even tomorrow. For this, Armenia must
withdraw its occupation troops from the occupied territory and sit down at the
negotiating table with Azerbaijan.
Romans Naudinsh
Deputy of the Seim of the Republic of Latvia,
Latvian delegate in the
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
