Peruvian media: Azerbaijan steps up efforts to return refugees

La Razón, one of Peru's most influential media outlets, published an interview of Azerbaijani ambassador to this country Mammad Talibov on the results of the 44-day war, the post-conflict situation in the region, the Armenian vandalism in the liberated territories, obstacles to the return of Azerbaijani IDPs, and the reconstruction work carried out by our country, the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Mexico told Report.

In the interview, the ambassador provided information about the liberation as a result of the 44-day war of most of the territories occupied by Armenians for almost 30 years, the Armenian armed forces' withdrawal from other parts of the region under the tripartite statement on November 10, the establishment of the joint Russian-Turkish monitoring center, and the deployment of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in the territory.

He said Azerbaijan's primary goal is to return about 1 million IDPs expelled by Armenia during the occupation and large-scale reconstruction work is being carried out for this purpose. However, there are several obstacles to achieving this goal. The Armenians destroyed the residential infrastructure in the liberated cities and settlements, attempted to ruin the historical and cultural heritage of our country, mined large areas, and refused to provide a map of the minefields in violation of international humanitarian law. It was stressed that the international community should take this issue seriously to ensure the safety of civilians.

Another threat to stability in the region is the emergence of vindictive and radical nationalist forces in Armenia that do not accept the end of the conflict and incite new military confrontations. According to the interview, in order to ensure lasting peace in the region, Armenia must renounce such approaches, territorial claims, and aggressive policies.

The ambassador concluded his interview by providing information about Azerbaijan's economic successes despite decades of occupation, large-scale energy and infrastructure projects in the region implemented with the participation of Turkey and Georgia. He also spoke about the measures taken in our country to combat the pandemic and the vaccination process which was launched this year.