French central chairman condemns Armenia's illegal settlement policy

"Armenia's policy of illegal settlement in Nagorno-Karabakh is unacceptable," said Naim Asas, chairman of the Paris-based Center for Strategic Analysis and Geopolitical Studies.

According to Report, he said the ancient city of Shusha, which belongs to Azerbaijan, was a victim of ethnic cleansing: "Shusha, currently under Armenian occupation, had historically been a multicultural city where several cultures, as well as Azerbaijani and Armenian cultures, come together. According to both history and international law, Shusha belongs to Azerbaijan. UN resolutions have confirmed that Nagorno-Karabakh, including Shusha, is the territory of Azerbaijan. However, the city has fallen victim to ethnic cleansing. Although 91% of Shusha's population used to be Azerbaijanis, as a result of the Armenian occupation, Azerbaijanis were expelled from their native lands, and their houses were set on fire.

N.Asas noted that as a continuation of Armenia's ethnic cleansing policy in Shusha, today, the country is conducting illegal settlements: "Speaking now about ensuring peace within the OSCE Minsk Group, they use the events in Syria and Lebanon to resettle Armenian families of those nations in the occupied Azerbaijani lands. Yerevan builds villages in Shusha and gives them Armenian names. For all this, financial support is provided by foundations in the United States. What is happening in this regard gives us the impression that Armenia aims to annex Nagorno-Karabakh."