BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 23. Azerbaijan's Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov spoke about the role of Armenian Nazi ringleader Garegin Nzhdeh and his racist ideology in ethnic cleansing against Azerbaijanis at the hearings in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Azerbaijan vs. Armenia case conducted based on Armenia's preliminary objections, Trend reports.
Mammadov told the ICJ judges that during Armenia's occupation, the country was administered by a party that declared itself the intellectual heir of Nzhdeh, claiming that his ideals are still alive at the official level today and have been embraced by numerous Armenian fascist parties.
The deputy minister mentioned that Nzhdeh's ideas also encourage occupation.
He also brought to the court's attention several quotes from the ideology of Tseghakron.
"Modern Armenia covers only 1/19th part of our (Armenian) historical homeland... I am Tseghakron, and I must defeat the enemy of my race, the Turks," Mammadov cited one of the quotes.
Elnur Mammadov added that Nzhdeh remains a national hero in Armenia today.
He emphasized that one of the monuments in his honor was unveiled by the President of Armenia in 2016.
To note, on April 15, preliminary hearings took place at the International Court of Justice regarding Azerbaijan's claim against Armenia. Public hearings addressed Azerbaijan's preliminary objections in court concerning Armenia's application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) against Azerbaijan.
Public hearings on Azerbaijan's preliminary claims in the case concerning the appeal of the International Court of Justice Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (Armenia v. Azerbaijan) concluded on April 19.
According to information, Azerbaijan presented the following demands to the court:
- Dismiss Armenia's appeal entirely, citing that none of its claims meet the necessary level before the court due to Armenia's failure to adhere to the negotiation preconditions outlined in Article 22 of the ICERD.
- Alternatively, or in addition, declare that the court lacks subject matter jurisdiction over Armenia's claims of Azerbaijan's breach of obligations.
It was mentioned that the court had commenced an internal deliberation, and the decision date will be disclosed during a later public session to be announced.
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