BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 24
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
The letter dated 15 April 2020 from the Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General on the so-called “elections” held by Armenia in Azerbaijan’s occupied lands has been published as the document of the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council, Trend reports.
The letter says it is not a coincidence that these so-called “elections” took place on 31 March – the Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis, commemorated in Azerbaijan in memory of those thousands of civilians killed as a result of Armenian offensives in 1918.
“No doubt, such an ostentatious and cynical action will serve for nothing but to deepen mistrust and narrow the already elusive prospects of peace and reconciliation,” reads the document.
The document says that these so-called “elections” were held despite the unprecedented spread of the coronavirus pandemic across the globe, thus once again vividly demonstrating that Armenia subordinates the well-being and safety of residents under occupation to political expediency, in total disregard of public morality and in violation of international humanitarian law.
“As a consequence, the first coronavirus cases in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan were reported immediately after these so-called “elections”. The “elections” were held in an environment of total illegitimacy, which stems from the continuing military occupation and ethnic cleansing of the territories of Azerbaijan and a clear violation of the Constitution and legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the norms and principles of international law. The international community once again has overwhelmingly reaffirmed its consistent and principled position of collective non-recognition of the situation resulting from the occupation of the territories of Azerbaijan by rejecting and invalidating the so-called “elections”, which thus have no effect whatsoever,” reads the letter.
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 the withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.