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5 October 2016

By Seba Aghayeva – Trend

Azerbaijan’s Permanent Mission to the OSCE told Trend Oct. 5 that it expressed concern over illegal economic and other activities by natural and legal persons of the OSCE participating states in the occupied Azerbaijani territories.

“As it was underlined at the OSCE Permanent Council’s meeting on Sept. 8, it is necessary for the OSCE participating states concerned to take proper measures to reverse such activity in line with their international commitments, in particular those taken within the OSCE framework,” read the statement of the Azerbaijani mission to the OSCE.

“Such a breach of fundamental rights and freedoms with respect to Azerbaijani population is in itself gross violation of our shared OSCE commitments,” says the statement.

“It is equally notorious to misuse noble notion of humanitarian assistance to conceal the true essence of illegal activities,” according to the statement.

The permanent mission also noted that Azerbaijan has on numerous occasions presented countless facts proving that economic and other activity by third country nationals is misused by Armenia to generate financial and other means to sustain its occupation of the Azerbaijani territories, including for promotion of illegal settlement of Armenians in those territories.

“These activities, directly or indirectly, are changing the demographic composition in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan by increasing the number of Armenians and preventing the return of expelled Azerbaijanis to their homes and properties,” says the statement. “Such a policy can in no way be considered as humanitarian in nature and consistent with human rights standards.”

“In light of the above-mentioned, we reiterate our call on the OSCE participating states concerned to take urgent and effective measures to prevent any activity of their natural and legal persons in the occupied Azerbaijani territories taking into account their relevant OSCE commitments,” added the mission.

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, in 1992 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 the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.