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Richmond Times Dispatch, May 23, 2017

While terrorism by ISIS engulfs the Middle East and Russia violates territorial integrity of Ukraine and Georgia, Armenian aggression against U.S. ally Azerbaijan is largely neglected.

May 18 marks the 25th anniversary of occupation of Lachin district of Azerbaijan. After occupying the Nagorno Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, on 18 May 1992, the Armenian units attacked and ethnically cleansed the city of Lachin, subsequently destroying hundreds of cultural facilities monuments. More than 63,341 Azerbaijani citizens living in 121 villages of Lachin district were driven out their homes as a result of the occupation. As per official statistics, 267 residents of Lachin were killed during the occupation.

District after district followed suit after Lachin’s occupation, resulting in the displacement of nearly 750,000 Azerbaijani civilians.

Following the cease-fire agreement of May 1994, Armenians started an illegal mass resettlement program relocating Armenians from Armenia and abroad to Lachin district in order to change the demographic situation. According to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, as of April 2011, Armenians have illegally resettled 14,000 persons of Armenian origin to occupied Lachin district against all accepted international laws and norms, including the Article 49 of the 1949 Geneva Convention forbidding the “occupying power” to transfer parts of its own civilian population into occupied territories.

For justice to prevail, the U.S. must exert pressure on Armenia, the Russian proxy, to comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions and remove all Armenian military forces illegally stationed in Azerbaijan, allow return of Azerbaijani displaced persons back to their homes and condemn Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan.

Faik Musayev.