Yi Whan-woo is a Korea Times journalist primarily covering finance. He writes in-depth articles on macroeconomy and financial markets and previously covered sports, politics, diplomacy and inter-Korean affairs, among others. Feel free to contact him at yistory@koreatimes.co.kr.
Azerbaijanis in occupied regions respond to Armenian aggression
A girl holds her sister after fleeing the massacre of ethnic Azerbaijanis by Armenians in Khojaly in February 1992. / Embassy of Azerbaijan
By Yi Whan-woo
The following is a statement from the Azerbaijani Community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan. ― ED.
We, the internally displaced persons from the Nagorno-Karabakh region and other occupied districts of the Republic of Azerbaijan, have suffered from Armenian aggression for almost 30 years.
The ethnic cleansing policy against us, which was started in 1988, culminated by Armenian military invasion, occupation of almost one fifth of the territory of Azerbaijan and expulsion of more than 700,000 Azerbaijanis from their ancestral homelands.
During the aggression and occupation of our territories, thousands of Azerbaijanis were brutally killed, while many civilians went missing. The genocide perpetrated in the Azerbaijani-populated Khojaly city of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, where in one night 613 civilians, including women, children and elderly were brutally killed, has become the largest massacre committed against Azerbaijanis by invading Armenian forces. Unfortunately, the perpetrators of these crimes continue to enjoy impunity.
The world community, including the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly, has repeatedly stated its unambiguous support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan within its internationally recognized borders, with the Nagorno-Karabakh region as its inalienable part, and has affirmed the right of return of all internally displaced Azerbaijanis to their lands.
The Azerbaijani Community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan supports the peaceful settlement of the conflict, which would ensure the immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh region and all other occupied territories of Azerbaijan, the return of the forcibly displaced Azerbaijani population to their homes and properties in these territories in safety and dignity, the rehabilitation and economic development of these territories and the peaceful coexistence of the Armenian and Azerbaijani communities of the Nagorno-Karabakh region within Azerbaijan on an equal and non-discriminatory basis.
However, it is very hard to prepare for peace and reconciliation against the background of overt annexationist policy pursued by Armenia and the bellicose rhetoric of its leadership, manifested in the infamous statement by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan that “Karabakh is Armenia”.
Moreover, Armenia refuses even to accept the existence of the Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, denies our fundamental rights and freedoms and tries to oppose by all means contact between the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. This is yet further proof of their profound contempt for human rights, which is at the core of Armenia's policy of aggression and occupation of the territories of Azerbaijan.
Armenia tries to prevent the Azerbaijanis from returning to their homes and to colonize the occupied territories, and this is evidenced in its deliberate policy and practice aimed at changing the demographic composition as well as the economic, social and cultural character of these territories.
We call upon the world community not to turn a blind eye to the ongoing Armenian aggression and sufferings of hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis uprooted from their homes for 30 years, and re-double the efforts towards ensuring the implementation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions and the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict on the basis of the norms and principles of international law, as enshrined in the Helsinki Final Act, in full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan within its internationally recognized borders.