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Press-release,
22 March 2005
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Statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
of the
Republic
of
Azerbaijan
At the initiative of the Republic of Azerbaijan and within the framework of review of the item No163 - "The situation in the occupied territories" - on the agenda of the 59th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations, the Mission of the Minsk Group of the OSCE visited the occupied territories with a fact-finding purpose during the period from January 30 through February 5, 2005. The
Mission
's trip was made possible due to the adamant position of the General Assembly of the UN, which put onto its agenda the issue regarding the situation in the occupied territories of
Azerbaijan
. This was the first mission of this nature since the moment of the occupation of the Azerbaijani territories and adoption by the Security Council of the UN of the relevant resolutions on the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. These resolutions bear a clear manifestation of the "request to the Secretary General, the acting Chairman of the OSCE and the Chairman of the
Minsk
Conference to inform the SC of the UN about all aspects of the situation on the ground." The Minsk Group mission revealed the process of the transfer of population in the occupied territories and confirmed
Azerbaijan
's concerns on this matter. Following its visit, the
Mission
prepared a report on the basis of broad factual information, which was provided by the Azerbaijani side and collected by the
Mission
on the ground. Despite the difficult weather conditions and landscape drawbacks as well as the limited time and some artificial obstacles hindering the free movement within the occupied territories, which on certain instances did not make it possible to visit all the necessary places, overall the Mission was able to accomplish the objective set. In this regard, the Ministry is grateful to the Chairman and the members of the
Mission
for the work accomplished. Taking into consideration the time limitations and movement hindrances, the numerical population data determined by the Mission through the method of visual appraisal nevertheless almost coincided with those provided earlier by the Azerbaijani side. In accordance with the preliminary information provided by the Azerbaijani side, overall, the population numbering from 20,000 to 23,000 persons was transferred into the occupied territories. The Mission found this figure to be over 17,000 persons. What is of specific concern to us is that the Mission found out that the Lachin province of the Republic of Azerbaijan is also being populated, although the Armenians never lived there before. Although the Azerbaijani side believes that 13,000 people were relocated into the Lachin province, the Mission contends that their number ranges from 8,000 to 11,000 persons. The Azerbaijani side is appreciative of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs' contribution to the work of the
Mission
. In their recommendations, which they made on the basis of the
Mission
's conclusions, the Co-Chairs of the MG of the OSCE appeal that "any further settlement of the occupied territories should be discouraged" to "avoid changes in the demographic structure of the region." The Co-Chairs specifically indicate that the "prolonged continuation of this situation could lead to a fait accompli that would seriously complicate the peace process." In their appeal to the international organizations, the Co-Chairs are asking to conduct the appraisal of material and financial needs of the region with the purpose of the relocation of the population presently inhabiting the occupied territories and, at the same time, bringing back the internally displaced persons into the places of their permanent dwelling. The Azerbaijani side has welcomed the decision of the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group to keep this issue on the agenda for further review. As far as the participation of the Government of Armenia in the deliberate transfer of the population into the occupied territories is concerned, it is worth noting that although the Mission did not make any explicit statements on this issue, the Mission's report as well as the materials provided by the Azerbaijani side, which encompassed the statements of top Armenian officials, bear a great deal of evidence confirming Armenia's direct involvement in the transfer. The aspects of Armenia's interaction and coordination with the separatist regime in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, which were not covered in the Mission's report, ought to be taken for granted and do not require any additional comments. The fact that the
Mission
did not discover any direct evidence of
Armenia
's involvement in the process of transfer leads us to believe that this is being done through the Nagorno-Karabakh separatists. The attempts to distance
Armenia
from this issue are incomprehensible and lack valid reasons. As an aggressor,
Armenia
, in compliance with the international practice, bears full responsibility for all actions taking place on the occupied territories, including the transfer of the Armenians into the territories where they never lived before. The
Mission
's report and Co-Chairs' recommendations lay a solid foundation for further review and resolution of this problem. The Ministry is hopeful to see the support of the international community on this issue.
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