Azerbaijani scientists expose Armenian lies in popular medical journal

Azerbaijani scientists have responded to their Armenian counterparts in The Lancet, a world-leading medical journal, exposing their lies, and urged not to politicize science, Report informs, referring to an article in the journal.

Earlier, Airazat Kazaryan and colleagues described the unfortunate rise in COVID-19 cases in Armenia during the recent Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In turn, Azerbaijani scientists argued that the statement by the Armenian counterparts is an attempt to politicize scientific data via misrepresentation of COVID-19 statistics, distortion of facts, and omission of important historical context.

The Azerbaijani scientists state that the leading causes of the worldwide increase in COVID-19 cases since early September 2020 include colder weather and lower humidity, a shift from outdoor to indoor gatherings, and the reopening of businesses and schools.

Although a military conflict could worsen the pandemic, the sharp rise in the number of daily reported COVID-19 cases predated the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict’s recent exacerbation.

Such a rise was reported in Georgia, a country that neighbors Azerbaijan and Armenia and is uninvolved in the conflict.

"We seek to clarify some of the claims made by Kazaryan and colleagues regarding the history of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Nagorno-Karabakh is an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan, occupied and, we would argue, ethnically cleansed by Armenian forces in flagrant violation of international law. Since the conflict’s beginning in the late 1980s, more than 1 million ethnic Azerbaijanis have fled their homes, causing an enormous humanitarian catastrophe. Despite nearly 30 years of negotiations involving international intermediaries, a peace agreement has not been achieved. Four UN Security Council resolutions, adopted in 1993 (822, 853, 874, 884), demand immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the Armenian occupying forces from all Azerbaijan regions," reads the article.

"Kazaryan and colleagues mention multiple civilian deaths on the Armenian side during recent hostilities. However, they fail to note that Armenia’s attacks on remote, densely populated cities and villages of Azerbaijan led to 414 civilian injuries and 94 deaths. Additionally, the Armed Forces of Armenia used heavy artillery, banned cluster munitions, and long-range rockets in these attacks. We welcome the ceasefire signed by Armenia and Azerbaijan leaders on Nov 9, 2020, which resulted in the cessation of hostilities, restoration of international law, and the beginning of Armenian troops’ withdrawal from occupied lands," the article noted.

"As health-care professionals, we are all united by universally recognized human rights and belief in the value of human life. The politicization of science with ethnocentric views undermines the positive effect of science on our lives. It is imperative that we all seek to promote peace and prevent military conflict without using science for political gain," the Azerbaijani scientists added.