Armenian government is planning to resettle Armenians from Lebanon in the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan – Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions.
Number of experts abroad, especially from Russia and the United States, condemns Armenia’s the illegal resettlement policy in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. They consider that the resettlement of Lebanese Armenians in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan without the permission of Baku is a violation of international law and obstacle to peace process.
According to News.az, Russian political analyst Sergey Markov said that the resettlement of Armenian refugees from Lebanon in Nagorno-Karabakh is a flagrant violation of international law.
"This issue must necessarily be discussed by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs. But it is also a good reason to convene the whole Minsk Group. Besides, it should be discussed at the level of the UN Security Council. Because such resettlement to the empty territories of Azerbaijan, which were occupied by Armenia, is an evident act of demographic aggression and it must be stopped," the political scientist noted.
Markov said that Armenia’s authorities would resettle Lebanese Armenians on the territory of Armenia itself, not the occupied territories.
"There are a lot of underdeveloped, poor territories in Armenia itself, where very few people live. That's where they had to be resettled.” he said.
“Azerbaijan is right when it says that the OSCE Minsk Group behaves extremely passively. They have to respond to this flagrant violation of international law by Armenia," he added.
Another political expert Matthew Bryza, who was the former US ambassador to Azerbaijan and former co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, also commented on Armenia’s illegal resettlement policy.
"It is good if Armenia would like to take care of Lebanese Armenians, who are affected by the recent huge explosion in Beirut and are suffering from great economic difficulties in Lebanon. However, it is not good to resettle ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, which can only be seen as an uncooperative sign and a lack of commitment of the Armenian government to the peace process mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group,” the former diplomat said.
According to Bryza, Pashinyan government is rejecting the document of basic principles that has been painstakingly negotiated for years with the OSCE Minsk Group.
"It is disappointing that all the places the Armenian government had chosen to relocate Lebanese Armenians are territories of Azerbaijan,” he added.
It should be noted that Armenia is a country, which ignores the UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions demanding the unconditional, complete and immediate withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Armenia continues to disrespect the international law with demonstrating aggression to its neighbor.
