Nagorno-Karabakh problem raised at UN Security Council

The principled demands of the UN Security Council on withdrawal of Armenian occupation forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan remain unfulfilled, said Yashar Aliyev, the permanent representative of Azerbaijan to the UN.

He made the remark on January 10 while addressing a meeting of the UN Security Council dedicated to the prevention of conflicts and preserving of peace in the world.

The diplomat underlined Azerbaijan's commitment to peace and security.

He informed the meeting participants about the Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan, which resulted in the seizure of a considerable part of Azerbaijan’s territory, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding regions.

Aliyev added that the Armenian aggression caused death of tens of thousands of people, destruction of cities, as well as violent expulsion of over 1 million Azerbaijanis from their homes, and loss of their property.

In 1993, the Security Council adopted four resolutions (822, 853, 874 and 884), condemning Armenia for the use of force against Azerbaijan and occupation of its territories, as well as for attacks on civilians and bombardments of settlements. The UNSC reaffirmed respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, reconfirmed that the Nagorno-Karabakh region is an integral part of Azerbaijan, and demanded the immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian occupation forces from all occupied territories of Azerbaijan, said Aliyev.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia still refuses to fulfill the UN four resolutions on immediate withdrawal from the internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan, and stages military and political provocations to derail the peace talks mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group.

The Azerbaijani diplomat also spoke about the heinous crimes committed by the Armenian armed forces and associated armed groups against civilians and defenders of Khojaly city, located in the NagornoKarabakh region of Azerbaijan.

“The massacre in Khojaly in 1992 February was the largest fact of mass extermination of the civilian population,” Aliyev stressed.

As a result of the Khojaly massacre 613 people, including 106 women, 63 children, 70 old men, were mercilessly killed, 487 people were injured, 1,275 civilians were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 people is still unknown. As a result of this act of genocide, eight families were completely destroyed, while 25 children lost both parents.