WRITTEN QUESTION ON FOREIGN COMPANIES’ INVOLVEMENT IN ILLEGAL ACTIVITY IN AZERBAIJAN’S OCCUPIED LANDS PRESENTED TO THE PACE COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Jan 16 2007
Member of Azerbaijan’s delegation to the PACE, MP Ganira Pashayeva,
has presented a written question to the Committee of Ministers of
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Ganira Pashayeva told the APA that the written questions on the
foreign companies’ involvement in illegal activities in the occupied
territories of Azerbaijan touch upon Armenia’s continuing to occupy 20%
of Azerbaijani territory, ethnic cleansing carried out by the Armenian
armed forces, eviction of some 1 million Azerbaijani people who have
lived under unbearable conditions as Internally Displaced People
(IDP), Armenia’s vandalizing Azerbaijan’s historical and cultural
monuments and trying to wipe out the traces of Azerbaijanis.
"Pace Resolution 1416 (2003) demands that Armenia has to withdraw
from the occupied lands of Azerbaijan and internally displaced people
should return to their homeland.
During the period as from the adoption of this resolution, Armenia
has not honoured the resolution and even enlarged non-compliance
with international legal norms and conventions in the occupied
territories. Anyway, in contradiction to the international conventions,
Armenia and the separatist Nagorno Karabakh managed to attract a number
of foreign companies to make investment in these territories illegally.
At present, some 70 foreign companies have been involved in illegal
activities in these lands without authorization of Azerbaijan. There
are companies of the USA, Canada, France, the United Kingdom,
Switzerland and others among the involved. 897 hectares of forests
were destroyed during the eight-month period of 2006. There are
seven wood manufacturing plants working illegally in the occupied
territories. Armenians waste water resources in Lachin and Kalbajar,
the occupied regions," she underlined.
She said that the questions include the full list of the companies
and the countries.
Ganira Pashayeva referred to Hague Convention IV on Laws and Customs of
War on Land, saying that Article 55 reads: "The occupying state shall
be regarded only as administrator and usufructuary of public buildings,
real estate, forests and agricultural estates belonging to the hostile
State, and situated in the occupied territory. It must safeguard the
capital of these properties, and administer them in accordance with
the rules of usufruct. In other words, title to such property shall
not pass to the occupying State, and upon termination of the war,
the seized items and real estate shall be restored. According to
Oppenheim, immovable private enemy property may under no circumstances
or conditions be appropriated by an invading belligerent. Should it
confiscate and sell private land or buildings, the buyer would acquire
no right whatever to the property… if the occupant has appropriated
and sold such private or public property as may not legitimately be
appropriated by a military occupant, it may afterwards be claimed
from the purchaser without payment of compensation," she mentioned.
Having expressed deep concern over illegal actions of Armenia and the
separatist regime of Nagorno Karabakh, which are contradictory to
the international conventions, Ganira Pashayeva asks the Committee
of Ministers: -Whether Council of Europe would urge member-states
to review and put an end to their respective national companies’
involvement into illegal activities in the occupied territories of
Azerbaijan pursued in collaboration with the occupying authorities
and without consent of the Government of Azerbaijan?
-Why Foreign Ministers of member states don’t provide complete
information on their respective national companies’ involvement into
illegal activities in the occupied lands of Azerbaijan, as well
as in other conflict zones throughout the Council of Europe space
such as Abkhazia and South Ossetia? This could simplify setting up
monitoring group dealing with investigation into the state of the
natural resources in the conflict zones.
-Why the Committee of Ministers refrain from making use of effective
mechanisms at its disposal to influence the Government of Armenia to
abstain in the future from actions that prevent lasting peace in the
region from being achieved, including its continued non-compliance
with PACE Resolution 1416 (2003)?
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress