BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 18
Trend:
The Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan issued a statement in connection with the 28th anniversary of the occupation of Lachin district of Azerbaijan, Trend reports on May 18.
"Lachin district was occupied by the Armenian armed forces on May 18, 1992,” the statement said. “Lachin is one of the Azerbaijani districts located on the border with Armenia, and of great strategic importance."
“As a result of the attack of the Armenian armed forces on Lachin district, a city, one settlement, 125 villages were occupied, while 217 cultural institutions, 101 educational institutions, 142 healthcare institutions, 462 trade enterprises, 30 communication enterprises, two road transport companies and other enterprises were seized and destroyed,” the document said.
“More than 77,000 residents of Lachin district became internally displaced persons, their houses were looted,” the statement said. “The people internally displaced from Lachin temporarily settled in 57 Azerbaijani cities and districts.”
“As a result of the occupation, Albania’s Agoglan Monastery Complex of the 6th century, the Melik Ajdar Mausoleum of the 14th century, the mosque in Garagyshlag village, the old cemetery in Zabuh village were subjected to vandalism, and this is only some of more than 200 historical monuments of local importance and 54 monuments of the world significance,” the document said.
“After the occupation of Lachin, natural resources were looted in the district,” the community added.
“As in other occupied territories, refugees of Armenian descent, especially from Syria, were illegally settled in Lachin district,” the statement said. “The change in the demographic composition of the district by Armenia, the violation of the fundamental rights of more than 77,000 Azerbaijanis who underwent ethnic cleansing as a result of the occupation of Lachin, are a gross violation of international law.”
“It is possible to resolve the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict fairly only after the withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from the occupied Azerbaijani territories and the return of Azerbaijanis, including residents of Lachin district, who were subjected to the ethnic cleansing, to their native lands,” the document said.
"The Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan is ready to live in peace with the Armenian community of the region within the internationally recognized borders of the Republic of Azerbaijan,” the document said. “Only in this case, the stable and fair peace may be ensured in the region. Therefore, we, the Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, once again call the Armenian community for a dialogue."