Details added (first version posted on 14:21)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Oct. 14
Trend:
Armenian officials openly call on foreign citizens to take part in hostilities against Azerbaijan as mercenaries, Assistant to the Azerbaijani President, Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmat Hajiyev said, Trend reports on Oct. 14.
“These individuals, participating in hostilities in the occupied territories, automatically turn into a legitimate targets of the Azerbaijani army,” assistant to the Azerbaijani president added.
“There are numerous posts both on various internet resources and on social networks about the participation of citizens of other countries in the hostilities as part of the Armenian Armed Forces against Azerbaijan in the occupied territories,” Hajiyev said.
“Armenia openly violates the norms and principles of international law and international humanitarian law by involving armed mercenaries in hostilities,” assistant to the Azerbaijani president said. “In accordance with the International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries, member-states must not recruit, use, finance and train mercenaries and must prohibit such activity.”
“There are many UN resolutions regarding armed mercenaries,” Hajiyev said. “These resolutions condemn the impunity of those who engage in and use armed mercenary activity and call on all countries to hold accountable armed mercenaries and the parties using them as part of their obligations.”
“There is also a corresponding UN working group dealing with the issues related to the use of armed mercenaries as an instrument of violating human rights,” assistant to the Azerbaijani president said.
“Moreover, the additional protocol adopted in 2015 to the 2005 Warsaw Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism also envisages the criminal responsibility of countries in relation to the individuals traveling abroad for terrorist purposes," Hajiyev said.
“This shows that the international community understands the urgency of the problem of armed mercenaries and the need to combat it,” assistant to the Azerbaijani president said. “Armenia is taking the opposite actions and even wants to legalize the use of armed mercenaries. Thus, this country once again violates international law and opposes UN bans.”
“The legislation in several countries envisages long prison sentences and big fines for citizens who take part in hostilities abroad as armed mercenaries,” Hajiyev said. “Those involved in the creation and management of these types of armed groups face severe punishment.”
“It also envisages the deprivation of the individuals, participating in hostilities abroad as mercenaries, of certain rights (to participate in election, to be a witness, the right to defense, guardianship, residence permit),” assistant to the Azerbaijani president said.
“A number of European countries are taking important measures against their citizens for joining illegal armed groups,” Hajiyev said. “For example, in early July 2020, Tyler Vilus, who took part in the battles as part of the Islamic State (IS), was sentenced in France to 30 years in prison.”
“However, French citizen Gilbert Minassian, who took part in Khojaly genocide, said in an interview with Liberation newspaper that he mobilized French citizens to participate in hostilities against Azerbaijan as mercenaries,” assistant to the Azerbaijani president said.
“Even before the beginning of the recent military operation, Armenia organized the visit of armed mercenaries and terrorists to the occupied Azerbaijani territories,” Hajiyev said. “The recruitment of armed mercenaries from abroad became even more evident during the discussion of amendments to the law on defense in Armenia, which envisage the recruitment of volunteers in defense.”
“By this step, Armenia seeks to attract armed mercenaries and terrorists from other countries under the guise of volunteers to its army," assistant to the Azerbaijani president said. “This process has accelerated during the recent hostilities."
“Both the information received earlier and the cases in the Azerbaijani lands liberated from the occupation convincingly prove that armed mercenaries and terrorists from foreign countries are fighting on Armenia’s side,” Hajiyev said. “We have a lot of photo and video footages testifying this.”
“There are enough foreign citizens of Armenian origin among the mercenaries,” assistant to the Azerbaijani president said. “These individuals are involved in attacks on Azerbaijani civilians. The fact that these people are of Armenian origin does not justify their participation in hostilities on Azerbaijan’s territory and does not exempt them from the status of foreign fighters.”
“In this regard, we call on the corresponding countries to take important measures against their citizens who take such a step, to prevent them from visiting the occupied territories and also to initiate criminal proceedings against them,” Hajiyev said.
“These individuals participating in hostilities in the occupied territories automatically become the legitimate targets of the Azerbaijani army,” assistant to the Azerbaijani president said. “Armed mercenaries who survived in the battles and returned to their countries will become a big threat to the societies of these countries."