Foreign Minister addresses UNHRC over human rights of Azerbaijani IDPs

Baku. 26 February. REPORT.AZ/ "The on-going armed conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan still represents a major threat to international and regional peace and security, human rights and development," Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said at the 40th session of the UN Human Rights Council held in Geneva.

According to Report, the Foreign Minister said that as a result of the armed aggression by neighboring Armenia 20 percent of the territory of Azerbaijan has been under occupation since 1992. "Over 1 million Azerbaijanis subjected to ethnic cleansing remain to be forcefully displaced from their native lands, which in per capita terms makes it one of the highest numbers of IDPs and refugees in the world with a country of 10 million. Armenia continues the occupation of Azerbaijani territories by disregarding the UN Security Council resolutions 822, 853, 874 and 884 and related documents of many other international organizations, which firmly reaffirm the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and demand immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

"In this context that I urge the UN Human Rights Council, its mandate holders and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to take a principled standing and efficient actions for administration of justice and restoration of human rights of Azerbaijani IDPs and refugees violated more than two decades," the Minister said.