Details added: first version posted on 16:32
BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 9
Trend:
Armenia refuses to provide maps of minefields [of Azerbaijan's lands, liberated from Armenia's occupation in 2020], violating all international conventions, head of Azerbaijan’s Embassy in France Rahman Mustafayev said at a hearing with rapporteurs of the working group on the Karabakh war, set up in the French Senate, Trend reports referring to a source in the embassy.
During the hearings, Mustafayev spoke about the main challenges of the post-war period: de-mining and restoration of the liberated territories of Azerbaijan, reconciliation of the two countries, building trust between the communities of Karabakh and the integration of citizens of Armenian origin, as well as the technical mission of UNESCO.
The ambassador noted that during the 30-year occupation, Azerbaijani cities, villages and cemeteries were destroyed, and currently, the biggest problem is the mining of the main roads.
He informed the rapporteurs that Armenia refused to provide maps of minefields, therefore, Azerbaijani IDPs, who have been in exile for 30 years, cannot return home.
Besides, he stressed that at the moment the most urgent problem is the clearance of Azerbaijani territories, however, the Armenian side refuses to reveal the maps of minefields, violating all international conventions and rules of war. As a result, after the end of the war, the Azerbaijani side continues to suffer losses - as a result of a mine explosion, 20 civilians and 7 servicemen were killed.
According to Mustafayev, after all major wars since 1945, the belligerents have always exchanged maps of minefields with each other.
“These are the requirements of international conventions, in particular the Mine Action Treaty of 1997 and international law. This was also the case after the Indo-Pakistani wars of 1947– 1948, 1965 and 1971, the Arab-Israeli wars of 1967 and 1973 and the wars in the former Yugoslavia in 1995,” he reminded.
“After the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan in 1988, minefield maps were provided to the Afghan side. However, Armenia refuses to provide the maps, and the French press doesn’t write about it," the diplomat added.
He also said that recently distorted information about the ‘detention of Armenian soldiers’ has been published by the French media, but in fact it was a sabotage group that attempted to mine Azerbaijani territories at night, and the investigation of the incident continues.
"Until now, nothing is known about the fate of 4,000 Azerbaijanis captured by Armenia during the first Karabakh war [in 1991-1994]. France, as a close friend of Armenia, using its capabilities, can assist in providing Azerbaijan with information about the fate of its citizens," Mustafayev further noted.
Commenting on a French senator's statement that the second Karabakh war had become an insult and humiliation for Armenia, the ambassador noted that Azerbaijan had been waiting for 30 years for the implementation of four resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council in the 1990s, which France also voted for.
"These resolutions demanded the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from the territory of Azerbaijan. In the autumn of 2020, Azerbaijan restored its internationally recognized borders. For some, this may be a disaster, but within the framework of international law, this is the restoration of the legal situation in the region," the diplomat stressed.
He also noted that work on delimitation and demarcation of the border between the two countries was not carried out, since the Azerbaijani territories were under occupation.
Answering the question about the status of Karabakh, the diplomat noted that this issue has already been resolved. Clause 1 of Article 7 of Chapter 2 of the Constitution of Azerbaijan clearly reads that ‘the Azerbaijani state is a democratic, legal, secular, unitary republic. Azerbaijan is a unitary, united, indivisible country’.
He reminded that during the second Karabakh war France took a biased position, and illegal decisions were made in its Senate and in the National Assembly.
Besides, Mustafayev noted that France, as the closest country to Armenia, can contribute to the solution of issues remaining open, including building confidence between the two countries, and establishing peace.
According to him, France should unambiguously recognize the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan, which is the basic principle of France's return to the region and the development of relations with Azerbaijan.
"To return to the region, France should support the peacekeeping efforts of Azerbaijan," concluded Mustafayev.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.
Following over a month of military action to liberate its territories from Armenian occupation from late Sept. to early Nov. 2020, Azerbaijan has pushed Armenia to sign the surrender document. A joint statement on the matter was made by the Azerbaijani president, Armenia's PM, and the president of Russia.
A complete ceasefire and a cessation of all hostilities in the zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict were introduced on Nov. 10, 2020.
Following the liberation of its lands, Azerbaijan from Nov. 2020 started carrying out operations on clearing its lands from mines, booby traps, and various weapons left behind by the Armenian troops.