Azerbaijan News Service
March 18 2005

AZERBAIJAN SATISFIED WITH THE FINAL REPORT OF OSCE FACT-FINDING
MISSION
2005-03-18 20:00

About 16 000 Armenians have been settled in Azerbaijani territories
occupied by Armenia. This fact has officially been affirmed. The
final report of OSCE’s mission that held monitoring of illegal
settlement of Armenians in occupied Azerbaijani territories shows the
number of settled Armenians as follows: 8000-11000 men in
Lachin,1500-2000 in Kelbedjer,1000 in Agdam,1000 in Zengilan,1500 in
Qubadli,10 in Fizuli and 100 persons in Djabrail.But these figures
don’t reflect the reality. According to Araz Azimov, special
representative of the president of the Azerbaijan Republic, the
separatist regime in Daqliq Qarabaq tried to hinder the work of
monitoring group of OSCE making such excuses as the roads are in bad
condition and are mined. Besides the mission noticed closed, but
newly repaired houses. Araz Azimov, special representative of
Azerbaijani president on Daqliq Qarabaq issue, Armenian side removed
the residents beforehand. Though the separatist regime in Daqliq
Qarabaq more that once denied settlement program of Armenians in
occupied Azerbaijani lands in state level, some facts in the report
of the mission confirms that the settlement program is realized in
high level. It is noted in the report that changes in infrastructure
in residential areas are made not in individual but state level. The
letter of OSCE co-chairmen was sent to Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
Azerbaijan as well as copy of the report. In their letter, OSCE
co-chairmen called to stop Armenian settlement in occupied
Azerbaijani lands, expedite the talks, discuss the settlement problem
and prevent the changes to be made in demographic structure of the
region. Co-chairmen also called the sides to help the concerned
communities to come to contact to preserve cultural legacy, hly
places including cemeteries in the regions damaged as the result of
conflict. At the same time OSCE co-chairmen proposed donor
organizations to allocate money to move Armenians settled in occupied
Azerbaijani lands back to their homes. Official Baku’s further steps
to prevent settlement program will be based on this proposal of the
co-chairmen. According to Araz Azimov, illegal settlement of
Armenians in occupied Azerbaijani lands will be discussed in 59th and
60th sessions of OSCE General Assembly.