Separatist official dismisses Azeri claims of “illegal resettlement” in Karabakh

Regnum, Moscow
9 Feb 05

[No dateline as received] “Allegations of the Azerbaijani deputy
foreign minister [Araz Azimov] that Armenian refugees have breached
international law are unfounded,” Nagornyy Karabakh Deputy Foreign
Minister Masis Mailyan has told a Regnum news agency correspondent. He
was commenting on Azimov’s interview with [Azerbaijani] Azad Azarbaycan
TV, in which the latter, in particular, accused the Armenian side of
illegally settling the territories controlled by the Nagornyy Karabakh
Republic [NKR].

“Azerbaijan forcibly evicted these people from the places of their
permanent residence in Baku, Sumqayit, Kirovabad [Soviet name for
Ganca], Mingacevir and other places in Azerbaijan predominantly
populated by ethnic Armenians. Azerbaijan has resettled the occupied
territories of the NKR and the Armenian villages north of Nagornyy
Karabakh at the state level. International mediators are very well
aware of this,” Mailyan said.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress