(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 3 . International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) office conducts illegal
activities in Azerbaijan's Khankendi, the Head of the Azerbaijani
Scientific Research Public Union Telman Gasimov told trend .
He said the ICRC in Azerbaijan often refers to double standards,
which has become evident considering the ICRC's 30-year activity in
the country.
"They encountered problems when providing any information to the
Azerbaijani side about missing persons, prisoners, and hostages.
However, every time the Armenian side raises concerns about losses,
the ICRC immediately interferes in Azerbaijan's affairs and ignores
the information from the Azerbaijani side," he said. "Since the
1990s, only 17 out of 75 persons listed as prisoners of war,
civilian hostages, and military personnel have been returned to
Azerbaijan. Information about the remaining prisoners is missing,
thanks to ICRC's attitude."
He went on to say that issues with ICRC have been accumulating
for years.
Gasimov reminded that the ICRC office in Khankendi is directly
subordinated to the Yerevan office.
"In December 2022, during the protest of Azerbaijani
eco-activists on the Lachin-Khankendi road, we witnessed how the
the ICRC vehicles were being used. Moreover, recently, during the
inspection of ICRC trucks at the Lachin checkpoint, contraband
goods such as cigarettes, mobile phones, and gasoline were
detected. The ICRC acknowledged this and stated that it wasn't
responsible for it. This once again proves that the ICRC office in
Khankendi acts arbitrarily and conducts illegal activities," he
pointed out.
Gasimov also emphasized that the ICRC's activities have already
been exposed, and the whole world should be aware of it.
"The ICRC engaged in activities that were not entrusted to it
and conducted other illegal activities in Azerbaijan. For this
reason, we expressed our protest by sending an open letter to the
ICRC headquarters. If necessary, if they continue such activities
after the warning, Azerbaijan will be ready to take tough
measures," he added.
In order to prevent the transportation of manpower, ammunition,
mines, as well as other military equipment from Armenia for illegal
Armenian armed groups on the territory of Azerbaijan (which weren't
withdrawn contrary to the trilateral statement of November 10,
2020), and as an adequate response to the unilateral establishment
of a border checkpoint by Armenia on the border with Azerbaijan on
April 22, 2023 at the entrance to the Lachin-Khankendi road
contrary to the trilateral statement of November 10, 2020, on April
23 this year, the units of the State Border Service of the Republic
of Azerbaijan set up a border checkpoint in its sovereign
territories, on the border with Armenia, at the beginning of the
Lachin-Khankendi road.