BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 22. Mine victims, their family members, and representatives of Azerbaijani civil society have appealed to the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), Tiny Kox, Trend reports.
"As of today, we, the victims of the mine terror by Armenia and its military formations, along with our families, relatives, and civil society organizations working in this field, address an open letter to the PACE president and the members of the PACE," the appeal authors said. "We perceive the refusal of the PACE rapporteur on Azerbaijan, who recently visited Baku, to meet with the victims of Armenia's mine terror against Azerbaijan, their families, and NGOs specializing in mine issues as a mockery of the values of the Council of Europe and a lack of respect for human rights and freedoms."
"We strongly condemn the transformation of an organization like PACE, which claims to be a human rights institution, into a tool for certain states and circles," the authors noted. "The mine issue is currently the most significant problem for Azerbaijan. An organization that treats this issue in such a manner, remains silent about it, and refuses to meet with victims of mine terror should be ashamed."
"Such behavior of PACE representatives is disgusting, as it directly supports Armenia's mine terror," the authors emphasized.
"According to recent estimates, over a million mines and unexploded ordnances were planted in the liberated territories. Even after the 2020 second Karabakh war, Armenia continued to transport mines through Lachin [road] and bury them on Azerbaijani territory," the authors reminded. "We haven't forgotten that instead of protesting against this, the PACE advocated for the unhindered passage of Armenian illegal military formations and cargoes through the Lachin road into Azerbaijani territory, thus protecting the continuation of terrorist activities on the lands of another state."
"As a result of successful local anti-terrorism measures carried out by the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan in Karabakh on September 19–20, 2023, more than 500,000 additional mines and unexploded ordnances were found in the territories taken under control. This means that over the last three years, the mining of Azerbaijani territories has not stopped for a single day but has instead increased," the authors explained.
"Another proof of this is the inclusion of Armenia in the list of mine-producing countries in international mine reporting documents. It is hard to find a second country in the world as contaminated with mines as Azerbaijan. One of the ardent supporters of Armenia transporting mines to Azerbaijan through the Lachin road was Liz Kristoffersen [co-rapporteur of the PACE Monitoring Committee on Azerbaijan], whom you have recently sent to Azerbaijan," the appeal authors further said.
"Therefore, the victims of mine are not surprised by the shameful attitude of the Council of Europe and the double standards towards Azerbaijan. During this period, the PACE never called on Armenia, as a member state, to withdraw its military formations from Azerbaijani lands and hand over mine maps," the authors also reminded. "Over the years, more than a million Azerbaijani refugees and internally displaced persons have become victims of Islamophobia, xenophobia, Azerbaijanophobia, and the lobbying and corruption network entrenched in the PACE, ignoring their human rights and freedoms in the international organization based in France."
"If you, as the President of the PACE, remain silent about this even after our appeal, you should have no moral right to speak about human rights and freedoms," stressed the authors.
"Accept us and listen. Witness firsthand how we suffered from Armenia's mine terror, what we lost, and the suffering our families and loved ones endure due to our disabilities. We are also human beings, and we have rights and desires. If the PACE is truly a human rights institution, hearing us and helping us should be its primary commitment," the appeal authors concluded.
More than 3,000 people in Azerbaijan have lost their lives as a result of mine blasts in Azerbaijani territories that were once occupied by Armenia and carpeted with landmines by Armenian forces.
In particular, since the end of the second Karabakh war, 337 Azerbaijanis (65 killed and 272 injured) have become victims of Armenian mines until today.
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