REPORT
ON THE LEGAL CONSEQUENCES OF THE ARMED AGGRESSION
BY THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA AGAINST THE REPUBLIC
OF AZERBAIJAN
FROM
TERRITORIAL CLAIMS TO BELLIGERENT OCCUPATION:
LEGAL APPRAISAL by
Tofig F. Musayev
OCCUPATION
OF AZERBAIJAN: AGGRESSION BY THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
(content privided by the Embassy of
Azerbaijan in Washington, DC)
After the collapse of the Soviet
Union, Azerbaijan has been recognized by UN and
internationally within its borders, including
Nagorno Karabakh. Armenia, the only country, which
has not recognized Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity, claiming independence for or unification
with Nagorno Karabakh, started a conflict with
Azerbaijan in 1988 and waged a full-fledged war
in 1991.
The Armenian aggression resulted
in occupation of Nagorno Karabakh and 7 other
regions of Azerbaijan, leaving around one million
Azerbaijanis as refugees and displaced people.
Even though the war ended with
Russia-brokered cease-fire in 1994, it was the
military assistance from Russia, including $1
billion in illegal arms transfers, which significantly
contributed to Armenian “success”.
International community reacted
to the occupation of Azerbaijani lands by four
UN Security Council resolutions of 1993, (S/RES/822,
S/RES/853,
S/RES/874,
S/RES/884)
demanding withdrawal of Armenian forces from the
occupied territories. NATO, OSCE and other international
organizations also repeatedly called for restoration
of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, which
were ignored by Armenia.
This blunt disrespect to international
law by Armenia, violations of its commitments
before the international organizations, was once
again reflected in a resolution 1416 and recommendation
1960 by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council
of Europe in February 2005. The resolution clearly
stated that “considerable parts of the territory
of Azerbaijan are still occupied by Armenian forces
and separatist forces are still in control of
the Nagorno-Karabakh region”. The recommendation,
in its turn, urged the withdrawal of military
forces from all occupied territories of Azerbaijan.
The United States has always
recognized the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.
“The United States does not recognize Nagorno-Karabakh
as an independent country, and its leadership
is not recognized internationally or by the United
States. The United States supports the territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan and holds that the future
status of Nagorno-Karabakh is a matter of negotiation
between the parties”, says the latest fact
sheet by the Department of State of January 2005.
As a co-chairman of the OSCE
Minsk Group (functioning since 1992), the U.S.
mediates the peace process, as well as ongoing
talks between Presidents and Foreign Ministers
of Azerbaijan and Armenia, and Azerbaijan remains
committed to a peaceful resolution of the conflict,
which preserves its territorial integrity.
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