Foreign media
The ambassador of Azerbaijan to Qatar Rashad Ismayilov’s interview was published in the well-known English language newspaper "The Peninsula" of Qatar.
The State Committee for Work with Diaspora noted that the ambassador extensively touched on the history of Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as the causes and legal aspects of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. “On 28 May 1918, the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan was proclaimed with Nagorno-Karabakh as a part of it and it remained in this status during the Soviet rule. The moment the Republic of Azerbaijan gained independence from the Soviet Union, the former administrative borders of the Azerbaijani SSR, which also encompassed the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region, were deemed henceforth to be international borders and to be protected under international law (uti possidetis juris),” the diplomat said.
At the end of 1987, the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) openly laid claim to the territory of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region of the Azerbaijani SSR. When the Soviet Union ceased to exist, Armenia perpetrated aggression and occupied the region of Nagorno-Karabakh and the seven adjacent districts and some exclaves.
Speaking about the consequences of the current fighting, Ambassador Rashad said: “So far, 22 civilians including a family of five killed, 74 injured and 248 houses, and 49 civilian facilities destroyed as a result of attacks of Armenian Armed forces since September 27.”
For almost 30 years, he added, 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory was under Armenia occupation. Ambassador Rashad accused Armenia of forcibly expelling Azerbaijanis from their homelands as more than one million have become refugees and internally displaced persons.
“They are deliberately targeting the civilian population and infrastructure which is a blatant violation of the norms and principles of international law, in particular international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions of 1949.”
Asked about the effects of calls made by Russia, the US, and France for an immediate ceasefire on grounds, Ambassador Rashad Ismayilov said: “The ceasefire cannot be achieved unilaterally.”
“According to the Mandate of OSCE Minsk Group, Co-Chairmen are guided in their activities by the principles and norms of the OSCE, the United Nations Charter, and as applicable resolutions of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC),” he underlined, saying, “It means the mission of the Minsk Group is to facilitate and find solution for the conflict based on the four UNSC resolutions which I mentioned above,” he added.
“Therefore, the co-chairmen should insist and demand Armenia to unconditionally implement resolutions of the UN Security Council. Mediation can only work if Armenia complies with international law and starts immediate withdrawal from the territories according to a timetable. Armenia bears full responsibility for the recent escalation and Azerbaijan retains its right to take adequate measures against legitimate military targets to defend civilians and enforce Armenia to peace.”
In light of the growing fears of widening the scale of war between the two countries - Azerbaijan and Armenia - who are still refusing to stop the war, and each insisting on adhering to his positions, His Excellency Ambassador Ismayilov believes that his country “has always shown constructiveness on the negotiation track, in particular, in the past two years.”
“We have repeatedly stated that we are committed to the resolution principles developed over the years … but it is obvious that Armenia is not interested in resolving the conflict through negotiations…”.
“If you track their actions and statements’ chronology, you will see that the Prime Minister of Armenia publicly declared that ‘Karabakh is Armenia and full stop’, visited the occupied territories of Azerbaijan six times since his inauguration.”
“Furthermore, Armenia organized in March ‘elections’ on the occupied territories of Azerbaijan which is yet another provocation,” the Ambassador said, adding that they organized the so-called swearing-in ceremony in Nagorno-Karabakh in Shusha, and decided to move the so-called parliament to Shusha.