Elnur Mammadov: Occupation of Azerbaijani lands was based on racist ideology of Tsehakronism

The invasion of the Azerbaijani territory and occupation of Karabakh and the territories around it were dictated by the racist ideology of tsehakronism about the "exclusivity of the Armenian supreme Aryan nation" and with the goal of uniting all ethnic Armenians within a single mono-ethnic state, Azerbaijan's Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov said during the hearing on preliminary objections in the case of application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in a claim by Armenia.

He noted that these territories were illegally seized by Armenia in 1991-1994 and were kept under occupation for more than 30 years in violation of numerous UN Security Council resolutions.

According to Mammadov, Azerbaijan pointed to ethnic cleansing and systematic violence against the Azerbaijani population, as well as the cultural and historical monuments of Karabakh.

By contrast, the bulk of Armenia's complaint does not concern the convention at all, it concerns the military conflict associated with the illegal Armenian occupation and subsequent retention of territory, and includes allegations of alleged mistreatment of Armenian soldiers and civilians in connection with that conflict, he said.