Armenia`s first Ombudsperson: Azerbaijani President receives Armenian  authorities` consent to creeping annexation of Armenia

ArmInfo. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's statement about the "return of Azerbaijanis to their historical lands" confirms that the Armenian authorities  have given their consent to their creeping annexation of the country, as stated by Larisa Alaverdyan, Armenia's first Ombudsperson and  human rights activist, in an interview with ArmInfo when asked to assess the remarks made by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev during  a meeting dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences.

As the human rights activist clarified, Aliyev's wording makes it  clear that this is not just a statement, but a decision already made  and agreed upon with the Armenian leadership. The First Ombudsperson  noted that international lawyer Yuri Barsegov had already spoken  about this phenomenon, calling Azerbaijan's policy a cult of  annexation. "Therefore, with his statement, Aliyev essentially makes  it clear that Armenians' fears are justified, that is, he is  presenting the issue of the return of Azerbaijanis as a matter  resolved with the Armenian authorities," the human rights activist  added.

In this context, Alaverdyan mentioned that the exodus of Azerbaijanis  in the 1990s occurred under conditions where they were given the  opportunity to sell or exchange their property, or receive  compensation for the property they left behind. "There is not a  single document or confirmation that Azerbaijanis were forcibly  expelled from Armenia. Even then, it was clearly established that  this was a choice made by Azerbaijanis, influenced by signals from  Soviet Azerbaijan. They left Armenia because they feared that,  following the massacres in Sumgait and the expulsion of Armenians  from hundreds of settlements in the Azerbaijani SSR, they might  suffer a similar fate. Meanwhile, various countries have repeatedly  documented Azerbaijan's use of aggression, both in 2020 and in 2023,"  Alaverdyan noted.

She pointed out that the current geopolitical situation is  characterized by a complete disregard for international law, and in  these circumstances, the weak are blamed. Under these circumstances,  according to the First Ombudsperson of Armenia, expecting any  adequate or proportionate response from the civilized international  community is futile. As evidence for these statements, she noted  that, to date, not a single significant statement has been made by  representatives of the international community, despite the continued  occupation of parts of Armenian territory by Azerbaijani armed  forces.

In this regard, the human rights activist emphasized that Aliyev's  statements should have primarily awakened the dormant consciousness  of the broader Armenian public. "That is, given the absence of any  steps or statements at the official level, the entire burden of this  responsibility falls on the shoulders of the knowledgeable members of  the Armenian legal and expert community. And in a situation where the  Armenian authorities are inactive, a large-scale mobilization of  existing forces, even from all over the world, is necessary,"  Alaverdyan stated.

The human rights activist recalled that for four decades, lawyer  Moreno Ocampo, former Deputy Speaker of the British House of Lords  Caroline Cox, and others have raised the issue of a just resolution  to the Artsakh issue at international forums. "Furthermore, it will  be possible to prevent creeping annexation by mobilizing the entire  conscientious community  in Armenia. The country still has this  chance. Otherwise, the scenario of the Azerbaijani authorities in  tandem with the Armenian leadership will be feasible," Alaverdyan  concluded.