BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 27

Trend:

Documentary film “Black Orchards: Azerbaijan and Armenia’s Wars” produced by “TRT World” was screened at Azerbaijan’s Consulate General in Los Angeles on Jan. 23, Trend reports referring to Azerbaijan’s Consulate General in Los Angeles.

Last week the film received the "Best Short Documentary" award at the Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film Festival in Los Angeles.

Hosted and organized by Azerbaijan’s Consulate General in Los Angeles, the event was attended by the film's senior producer Oubai Shahbandar and the director and producer Atakan Kerkuklu, as well as consuls general and honorary consuls of various countries, faith and community leaders, media representatives, scholars, members of the local Azerbaijani community and leaders of Turkish, Pakistani, Jewish, Iranian, Korean, Latino and other communities.

Opening the event, Azerbaijan’s Consul General in Los Angeles Nasimi Aghayev gave detailed information on the history of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Armenia’s policy of aggression, military occupation and ethnic cleansing against Azerbaijan.

Aghayev stated that as a result of the illegal occupation of around 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s sovereign territory, over 800,000 Azerbaijani civilians were expelled from their ancestral lands in the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The consul general also noted that Armenia refuses to fulfill four United Nations Security Council resolutions condemning the occupation and demanding the unconditional and complete withdrawal of Armenian troops from Azerbaijan’s occupied areas.

Then the documentary film “Black Orchards: Azerbaijan and Armenia’s Wars” was screened. The film was received by the audience with much interest.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.