Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry on 27th Anniversary of Occupation of Lachin

Baku / 17.05.19 / Turan: The 27th anniversary of the occupation of the Lachin region by Armenian armed formations is being marked.

"27 years ago, on May 18, 1992, the Lachin region, which was not part of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region, was occupied by the Armenian armed forces," the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

As a result, the population of the region was subjected to ethnic cleansing and expelled from their homes. 77,518 of Lachin residents became internally displaced persons.

The Armenian occupation caused serious damage to the state and private property of the region. 217 cultural, 101 educational and 142 medical institutions, 462 trade establishments, 30 communications, various transport and production facilities were looted and destroyed.

Numerous historical monuments of world and local importance have been vandalized. In particular, the 6th century Albanian temple of Agoglan, the mausoleum of Melik Azhdar of the 14th century, the mosque in the village of Garygyshlag, the ancient cemetery in the village of Zabuh, and the Museum of Lachin"s history were destroyed, and the collections of old gold, silver and bronze coins were looted.

In violation of international humanitarian law, illegal activities continue in the Lachin region, as well as in other occupied territories of Azerbaijan, geographical names are being changed, natural resources are being developed in a predatory way, illegal infrastructure changes are being made, and the demographic composition of the region is being purposefully changed.

UN Security Council resolutions NN 822, 853, 874 and 884 adopted in 1993 condemned the occupation of Azerbaijani territories, confirmed territorial integrity, sovereignty and recognized Nagorno-Karabakh as an integral part of Azerbaijan and demanded the immediate, unconditional complete withdrawal of the occupying forces from the occupied territories. However, ignoring the resolutions of the UN Security Council, as well as decisions and resolutions adopted by other international organizations, Armenia continues the policy of occupying the territories of Azerbaijan.

The Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan notes that Armenia has to understand that the occupation of Azerbaijani territories will never give it political results. The status quo based on the occupation of Azerbaijani territories is unstable and unacceptable. The development of the region, including Armenia itself, in stability, peace, security and democracy primarily depends on ensuring the rule of law, international law, the elimination of occupation and the restoration of the rights of IDPs. Only the immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and the adjacent regions and the return of IDPs to their homes will establish normal good-neighborly relations between the two countries and serve to preserve peace, security and prosperity in the region, the Foreign Ministry said. -06D-