(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 30. The Community of
Western Azerbaijan (historical lands of Azerbaijan located in
modern-day Armenia's territory) has responded to the head of the EU
mission, trend reports.
It is noted in the statement that Markus Ritter, the head of the
Mission of the EU in Armenia, made a statement these days, in which
he spoke of preventing an imaginary attack by Azerbaijan on
Armenia.
According to the Community, Ritter thus tried to portray Armenia
as a victim, whose recent record is full of military aggression,
occupation against another State, ethnic cleansing against
Azerbaijanis, and other crimes against humanity, and which
continues its malfeasance against the territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan, and to highlight Azerbaijan in a negative tone, who is
the victim of all these crimes of Armenia.
"We would like to remind Ritter that the mission sent by the EU
with the mandate of human rights has an important and tangible task
regarding the rights of Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia. Almost
all settlements located in the border zone where the EU mission is
deployed are places where Azerbaijanis used to live and were
subjected to ethnic cleansing. We are confident that the mission
sees destroyed Azerbaijani cemeteries and cultural heritage in
those villages every day," said the statement.
The Community noted that, in this case, it is regrettable that
the head of the mission, issued a defamatory and provocative
statement instead of dealing with his own mandate, i.e. addressing
the human rights violations standing before his eyes.
"We urge the mission to do its job and, and as requested in our
letter to the President of the Council of the European Union,
Charles Michel, carry out the following:
- contribute to human security, inter alia safe return of ethnic
Azerbaijanis, who were forced to flee their homes in Armenia;
- gather information on the impact of the conflict on the rights
of ethnic Azerbaijanis, who were forced to flee their homes in
Armenia, inter alia by compiling reports on the state of their
property and cultural heritage;
- devise and implement CBMs, including but not limited to
enabling the expelled Azerbaijani inhabitants of Armenia to visit
their homes, cemeteries, sacred places and cultural heritage on the
territory of this country;
- elaborate and implement together with the Community
appropriate programs relating to international humanitarian law and
human rights, protection of civilians, and provisions of the
relevant UN Security Council resolutions, including United Nations
Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and
Security, UNSCR 2250 (2015) on Youth, Peace and Security and UNSCR
1612 (2005) on Children and Armed Conflict;
We are of the view the EU, including its mission in Armenia,
should – with their impartial and comprehensive efforts in the
field of human rights- facilitate the respect for the rights of
Azerbaijani expellees from Armenia, and thereby help attain lasting
peace," the statement concluded.