Baku urges OSCE to prevent economic activity in occupied lands

The illegal economic and other activities carried out by the OSCE member countries on the Armenian-occupied Azerbaijani territories are contrary to the principles of the organization, Azerbaijan’s Permanent Mission to the OSCE told Trend.

Azerbaijan has expressed its concern over the issue and called on the OSCE to take appropriate measures in order to put an end to these activities in accordance with international commitments, and especially those taken within the OSCE framework, reads the statement of the Azerbaijani mission.

“Such a breach of fundamental rights and freedoms with respect to Azerbaijani population is in itself gross violation of our shared OSCE commitments. It is equally notorious to misuse noble notion of humanitarian assistance to conceal the true essence of illegal activities,” the mission believes.

The Permanent Mission further mentioned that Azerbaijan has repeatedly provided numerous facts proving that economic and other activity by third country nationals is misused by Armenia to generate financial and other means to continue its occupation of the Azerbaijani territories, including for promotion of illegal settlement of Armenians in those territories.

These activities, directly or indirectly, alter the demographic composition in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan by increasing the number of Armenians and preventing the return of expelled Azerbaijanis to their homes and properties, the statement reads.

The mission emphasized that this policy in no way can be of a humanitarian nature.

“In light of the above-mentioned, we reiterate our call on the OSCE participating states concerned to take urgent and effective measures to prevent any activity of their natural and legal persons in the occupied Azerbaijani territories taking into account their relevant OSCE commitments,” noted the mission.

A report on the “Illegal economic and other activities in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan” has been recently circulated in the United Nations.

The document reflects the facts of illegal economic activities of Armenians, their resettlement in the occupied territories, plunder of natural resources of Nagorno-Karabakh, construction of infrastructure objects in the occupied territories, production of wine and spirits and other products, illegal activities in ICT and banking, destruction of cultural and historical monuments and so on.

Facts presented in the report show that despite current efforts to find a political solution to the conflict, Armenia continues its policy of deception of the international community and the process of annexation of Azerbaijan's occupied territories.

Azerbaijan and Armenia for over two decades have been locked in conflict, which emerged over Armenian territorial claims. Since the 1990s war, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including NagornoKarabakh and seven adjacent regions. The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal, but they have not been enforced to this day.