(MENAFN- AzerNews) By Sabina Mammadli
A number of foreign ombudspersons visited Azerbaijan's Aghdam on
October 21, Azernews reports.
The trip was organized by the Office of the Azerbaijani Human
Rights Commissioner. The members of the delegation came from
European, Asian, and African nations.
The purpose of the visit was to acquaint foreign commissioners
with the mass destruction committed in Aghdam during the Armenian
occupation.
The trip was attended by the Azerbaijani Ombudswoman Sabina
Aliyeva, heads of national human rights institutions, and media
representatives.
During the visits, the guests got acquainted with the atrocities
committed by the Armenian Armed Forces in Aghdam as well as the
destruction of Azerbaijani cultural heritage and monuments.
Aliyeva said that the participants witnessed the consequences of
the crimes committed on Azerbaijani lands during the period of
occupation.
“As a result of the past two-day conference, the Baku
Declaration was adopted. The conference was devoted to human rights
issues. The main problem that today delays the return of
Azerbaijani former internally displaced persons to their native
lands is mines. At the same time, Armenian subversive groups
continue to mine the country's lands,' she noted.
The Commissioner stressed that Azerbaijan has repeatedly
appealed to international organizations, urging them to immediately
respond to this issue. She added that this is the first time that
these territories were visited by representatives of countries,
such as Japan, Hong Kong, and Indonesia.
During the conference, the representative of the Azerbaijani
National Mine Action Agency made a presentation, and the evidence
he provided shocked the participants.
“He said that sometimes eight mines are found on one square
meter. Azerbaijan has raised these questions many times. Planting
mines is a crime, as is failure to provide accurate maps of
minefields,' she noted.
Currently, work is underway to restore Azerbaijan's liberated
lands. Azerbaijan will rebuild its recently liberated areas in four
stages. The initial stage includes the solution of the issues of
governance and security, and infrastructure, while the subsequent
stages include the solution of the issues of social services
activities, reconstruction, and development of the economy.
In 2021, Azerbaijan allocated $1.5 billion for the
reconstruction of liberated territories, followed by AZN 2.2
billion ($1.2 billion) in 2022. These funds will be used primarily
to restore infrastructure (electricity, gas, water, communications,
roads, education, health, and so on) as well as cultural and
historical monuments.
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Sabina Mammadli is AzerNews' staff journalist, follow her on
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