Armenia uses Azerbaijani occupied lands for drug and terrorist trafficking: official
By Jamila Babayeva
Armenia uses Azerbaijani occupied territories for the transit of drugs and terrorist groups to different countries, Azerbaijan's Deputy Chairman of State Committee on Affairs of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons, Garay Farhadov, said on January 14.
He made the statement at a meeting with Norwegian MP Karin Uoldset, Iceland MP Ogmundur Jonasson and famous public and political figures of Finland, and former member of the PACE Jaakko Laakso.
Farhadov said the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a threat not only for the South Caucasus region, but also for the whole world.
"Armenia not fulfilling the UN Security Council resolutions on the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict continues to pursue its aggressive policy. The conflict is still not resolved due to the destructive position of Armenia," he noted.
The official said the resolution of the conflict is the priority for Azerbaijan.
He expressed confidence that the refugees and internally displaced persons will be returned to their homes, and also stressed that due to the deliberate policy pursued by President Ilham Aliyev more countries support Azerbaijan's fair position and the country's prestige in the international arena is growing.
Farhadov spoke about the works carried out for improving the social, housing and living conditions of refugees and IDPs.
"At the expense of the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan 82 modern settlements were built, where 180,000 refugees and IDPs were placed," he noted.
He went to say that Azerbaijani government has prepared the special program on return of IDPs to Nagorno-Karabakh.
"Diplomatic missions, international organizations functioning in Azerbaijan, as well as government representatives were involved in development of the program," he said.
Foreign MPs, in turn, said they are informed about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and its consequences, and the conflict is a serious problem for the region. They met with refugees and IDPs, who temporarily live in Agdam region on January 15.
Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor that caused a brutal war in the early 1990s. Long-standing efforts by US, Russian and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far.
As a result of the military aggression of Armenia, over 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed, 4,866 were reported missing and almost 100,000 were injured, and 50,000 were disabled. Over one million Azerbaijanis became refugees and IDPs.
The UN Security Council has passed four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been enforced to this day.