Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct.3 / Trend, S.Ahmedova /
Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to the United Nations Agshin Mehdiyev expressed concern by the actions undertaken by Armenia with a view to relocating the Syrian citizens of Armenian origin in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, official website of the Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan to the UN reported.
"Syrian crisis has diverse impact, and its consequences are being experienced in other regions and countries as well. Thus, we continue receiving the reports testifying to purposeful attempts aimed at encouraging some categories of Syrian citizens to move to other conflict-affected areas, and even to settle in the territories under foreign military occupation, from which their original population was earlier forced to leave," Mehdiyev said.
According to the Permanent Representative, needless to say that such actions constitute a clear violation of international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
"Of course, I have in mind the actions undertaken by Armenia with a view to relocating the Syrian citizens of Armenian origin in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Indeed, while the international community is focused on searching for ways out of the Syrian crisis, the suffering facing the people of that country are being utilized to further complicate the situation and peace efforts in another region. No doubt, attempts to address the needs of refugees from Syria at the expense of hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijani displaced persons, living with the hope of returning to their homes, are illegal and cannot be tolerated nor accepted under any circumstances," Mehdiyev said.
He also said that Azerbaijan from very beginning has shared the view of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and other partners on the need for a greater policy attention to the humanitarian situation in Syria, particularly with a view to ensuring respect for international humanitarian law and access by humanitarian actors to those in need of assistance in Syria.
It should be noted that Azerbaijan began its presidency of the Security Council with the adoption of the presidential statement on the humanitarian situation in Syria.