Azerbaijani MPs address Belgium Foreign Minister

• 24.11.2011 16:35

sMr. Steven Vanackere,

Foreign Minister of Kingdom of Belgium 

 

Mr. Luc Truyens,

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Belgium to Azerbaijan

 

Mr. Philippe Blanchart,

Chairman of the Belgium-Azerbaijan inter-parliamentary friendship group

 

Management of “Betravel� company

(Betravel, Rue Victor Allard, 147 1180 Bruxelles)

 

regarding the information on the suggestion about travel to Nagorno Karabakh in 2012 spread by “Betravel� company

The information for subversive purposes was recently placed in the official website (http://www.betravel.be/optimum-travel.html) of “Betravel� company based in the Kingdom of Belgium (Betravel, Rue Victor Allard, 147 1180 Bruxelles, Tel +32 2/332 09 35; begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +32 2/332 09 35). The same information was also published in the newspaper “La tribune de Bruxelles�, as well as was placed in metal boxes for free newspapers and magazines at railway and subway stations, where there are a lot of people and was distributed among people.

The website of the company suggests to travel to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh on September 15-27, 2012. At the same time, the website seriously falsificated historical facts, describes Nagorno Karabakh as an independent state, and ancient Albanian temples of XIII century as Armenian churches.

Thus, we draw your attention to the fact that Armenians never settled in those territories at that time and came to Nagorno Karabakh from the Persian Ottoman territories only in early XIX century, when Southern Caucasus was combined to Czar Russia. Therefore, the temples described in the website cannot be Armenian churchs. Moreover, the presentation of ancient Albanian temples as an Armenian church both falsificates historical facts and is an obvious example of disrespect to historical and cultural heritage of nations living in these territories.

At the same time, we should note that Nagorno Karabakh is the historical territory of Azerbaijan and an inseparable part of the Azerbaijan Republic. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Armenia committed an armed aggression against Azerbaijan and occupied Nagorno Karabakh and other 7 (seven) regions of Azerbaijan. Armenia pursued ethnic cleansing policy against local Azerbaijani population in the occupied territories, and those territories became a mono – ethnic zone.

One of the most terrible crimes against the Azerbaijani nation was committed in the town of Khojaly. Thus, on the night from February 25 to 26 in 1992, the Armenian armed forces occupied Khojaly, the town located between Khankandi and Asgaran, together with armed Armenian groups in Nagorno Karabakh. They carried out a genocide policy against the Azerbaijani nation. During the occupation of Khojaly 613 innocent people, including  63 children, 106 women, 70 old people were killed with special brutality and cruelty. They were beheaded and blinded, pregnant women were bayoneted, 1275 civilians were taken captive, and the town was destroyed.

As a result of the occupation, more than 20 thousand people were killed, more than 50 thousand were injured and became invalid, thousands of civilians gone missing. Besides, people were executed without trial, civilans were massacred, taken hostage, and used in forced labor. Thus, more than 760 thousand Azeris became internally displaced people.

 Currently, the territories occupied by Armenia are beyond the control of Azerbaijan and the international community. Fertile field was formed for organized transnational criminal activities, drug plantations were set up and drugs are processed, as well as headquarters and training camps for international terrorist organizations were set up in those uncontrolled areas. Money laundering is being carried out in the occupied territories.

We would like to bring to your attention once again that the international organizations, including the UN, the OSCE, the European Union, the Council of Europe and others recognized the fact that territories of Azerbaijan, as well as Nagorno-Karabakh are under occupation, and they affirmed the right of the internally displaced people to return to their homes and live safely, as well as constantly and unambiguously supported the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, including Nagorno-Karabakh within internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan.

It has been long since negotiations between the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia are being held in order to achieve peaceful resolution of the conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group. At the moment, negotiations are in progress under the principles proposed in the statements adopted by the Presidents of the USA, Russia and France, the co-chair countries of the OSCE Minsk Group, in the summits of G8 in L’Aquila 2009 (Italy), Muskoka 2010 (Canada) and Deauville 2011 (France).

We’d like to inform you that despite the right of self-defense under the Article 51 of the UN Charter, the Azerbaijani side is interested in the peaceful resolution of the conflict and is doing its best in this direction. However, in practice the Armenian side proved that Armenia is interested not in the settlement of the conflict, but in maintaining status-quo. In other words, while the negotiation process on the peaceful resolution of the conflict continues, the Armenian side and different forces, not interested in the settlement of the conflict and Armenian Diaspora organizations in different countries constantly carry out sabotage activities through making efforts to encourage companies in different countries to function in occupied territories of Azerbaijan, to organize concerts of artists from other countries in those territories, to invite tourists from different countries to those territories; besides, they submit maps to organizations in different countries in the world, in which they describe Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan within Armenian Territory.

It should be noted that spread of information suggesting travel to Nagorno-Karabakh on September 15-27, 2012 in official website of “Betravel� company and in the “La Tribune de Bruxelles� in the Kingdom of Belgium and description of Nagorno-Karabakh within Armenian Territory are also sabotage activities. Therefore, we demand on “Betravel� company that the sabotage information in its official website should be immediately deleted, that the materials should be published, which reflect the unreality of the information in the “La Tribune de Bruxelles� and deny this information. Furthermore, we demand on “Betravel� company to make an explanation for the spread of information, which casts shadow on the territorial integrity and state sovereignty of Azerbaijan and to apologize before the Azerbaijan Republic.

Finally, we’d like to tell that visit to Nagorno Karabakh without the official permission of the Azerbaijani authorities is considered as a violation of the Azerbaijani borders and disrespect to state sovereignty. Such foreign citizens are considered undesired people by Azerbaijan and are not allowed to Azerbaijan in future.

 

Elkhan Suleymanov,

Chairman of the Azerbaijan – Belgium inter-parliamentary friendship group

Azer Karimli,