BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 28. Armenia blatantly lies about the so-called 'ethnic cleansing' of Armenian residents in Karabakh, but in fact, Azerbaijan has proposed many times and continues to offer the creation of better conditions for the living of Armenians on its territory, the Chairman of the Ukrainian Congress of Azerbaijan Public Association and veteran of the first Karabakh war, Yuri Osadchenko, told Trend.
"Armenians in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, just like representatives of other ethnic groups in Azerbaijan, are citizens of the country, and Azerbaijan cares for all its residents. As we can see, Azerbaijan has been providing assistance to the Armenian population of the Karabakh region for several days now—humanitarian aid, food, and fuel," Osadchenko said. "Azerbaijan considers them its own residents. Azerbaijan does not force them to leave the country, as some media outlets and certain individuals on social media claim. On the contrary, the country offers them to stay, acquire Azerbaijani citizenship, and continue living here."
He noted that it is the military junta that is forcing the Armenian population to leave the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.
"In video interviews on television channels and video materials on social media, Armenians leaving the Karabakh region themselves confirm that they are being compelled to leave by this military junta. Even in such cases, Azerbaijan provides them with all possible support, including fuel for relocation and food. Video materials have shown Azerbaijani police officers handing them water and food. So, what kind of 'ethnic cleansing' can be talked about here?" the veteran pointed out.
He emphasized that Azerbaijan is home to many ethnic groups of various religious backgrounds.
"Armenians can also become part of this society and live happily here by acquiring citizenship and following the country's laws. Azerbaijan is an example of multiculturalism in the world, and accusing the country of so-called 'ethnic cleansing' is a baseless accusation," he noted.
"We all know very well that the purpose of these accusations is something else. Armenians are trying to demonize Azerbaijan, damage its international image, and persuade some countries to allocate funds for the maintenance of so-called 'Armenian refugees', while in reality, these funds would be spent on completely different purposes," Osadchenko added.
In order to ensure the provisions of the Trilateral Statement [signed by Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian leaders following the 2020 second Karabakh war], to stop large-scale provocations in the Karabakh economic region, to disarm and withdraw formations of the Armenian armed forces from the territories of Azerbaijan, to neutralize their military infrastructure, to ensure the safety of the peaceful population returning to the territories liberated from occupation, civil servants involved in construction and reconstruction work, and Azerbaijan's military personnel, as well as to restore the constitutional order of the Republic of Azerbaijan, anti-terrorist measures have been conducted in the region.
Within the framework of the activities, positions of Armenian armed forces formations, their long-term firing points, as well as military means and military facilities, were disrupted using high-precision weapons in the front line and in depth. Civilians and civilian infrastructure were not targets, only legitimate military targets were disabled.
Taking into account the appeal of the representatives of the Armenian residents of Karabakh, received through the Russian peacekeeping contingent [temporarily stationed in Azerbaijan under the trilateral statement], an agreement was reached on the suspension of anti-terrorist activities of local nature on September 20, 2023, at 13:00 (GMT+4) under the following conditions: the Armenian armed forces formations and Armenian illegal armed formations located in Azerbaijan's Karabakh region shall lay down their weapons, leave their combat positions and military posts, and fully disarm. The units of the armed forces of Armenia shall leave the territory of Azerbaijan, and the Armenian illegal armed formations shall be disbanded.
Ramin Mammadov, responsible for contacts with the Armenian residents of Karabakh, held a regular meeting with representatives of the Armenian residents of Karabakh in the town of Khojaly on September 25, 2023.
At the meeting, which took place in a constructive atmosphere, satisfaction was expressed with the actions taken to resolve the issues discussed on September 21 in Yevlakh, in particular the short-term delivery of humanitarian aid, fuel, and the restoration of electricity supply.