Refugees from Artsakh demand return to their lands - Statement

ArmInfo.As a result of the 44-day war in 2020 and the forced deportations carried out by  Azerbaijan, tens of thousands of Armenians from Hadrut, Shushi, Askeran, Martuni, Martakert are deprived of the right to live in their homeland. This is stated in the statement of the representatives of the forcibly displaced Armenian population from Nagorno-Karabakh.

"Back in the 1990s, tens of thousands of the Armenian population of  the Shahumyan region and the Getashen sub-region were also forcibly  displaced by Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, in paragraph 7 of the tripartite  statement dated November 9, 2020, the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan  and Russia committed to ensure the return of internally displaced  persons and refugees to Nagorno-Karabakh and neighboring areas under  the auspices of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, which has not  yet happened. 

Taking into account the need to restore the rights of the internally  displaced population from Nagorno- Karabakh, as well as the  obligations assumed by Azerbaijan, we demand from President Ilham  Aliyev to recognize the need to restore the violated rights of  Armenian refugees, ensure their safety and dignified return to their  historical lands, in accordance with human rights and humanitarian  law," the statement reads.

The authors of the document appeal to Prime Minister of the Republic  of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, who signed the tripartite statement dated  November 9, 2020, to show consistency in the implementation of all  international legal and political mechanisms that will be aimed at  fulfilling the international obligations assumed by Azerbaijan, while  creating additional mechanisms for more effective protection rights  and interests of refugees, voicing and promoting their legitimate  demands.

<We call on President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin to  ensure the implementation of the requirements of the tripartite  declaration of November 9, 2020, within the framework defined by  international law, and with all possible political levers, taking  into account his status as the head of state that signed the  declaration and thereby assumed the obligations of the guarantor of  its implementation.  We appeal to UN High Commissioner for Refugees  Filippo Grandi with a request to organize, control and ensure the  return of the Armenian population displaced from the territories that  passed under the control of Azerbaijan, as well as to support the  implementation of effective international guarantees for the safe  return of persons, including the deployment of peacekeeping forces.

At the same time, we draw the attention of the High Commissioner to  the fact that the Azerbaijani authorities are currently implementing  programs for the illegal resettlement of Azerbaijanis in our  settlements, preventing our return and illegally seizing our  property>, the statement notes.

The document was signed by the representatives of the following  public organizations: Union of Refugees of the NKR, "Motherhood",  KACHAR Scientific Center, Union of refugees for justice "Center for  Support and Development of Women and Children", " Association of  Women Refugees, "Our House", " Liberation of Hadrut", "Hadrut  Children and Youth Creative Center".