Jamestown: Lebanese Armenians' illegal settlement becomes threat to peace

The authoritative US Jamestown Foundation's Eurasia Daily Monitor magazine published an article on Lebanese Armenians' illegal settlement in the occupied Azerbaijani lands, Center for Analysis of International Relations told Report.

An article by Vasif Huseynov, an expert at the center, entitled "Armenian Resettlement From Lebanon to the Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan Endangers Peace Process," said that this process has further increased tensions in the region.
The author noted that on August 25, the Armenian media announced the arrival of two ethnic-Armenian families from Lebanon to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan after an explosion in Beirut on August 4. It was declared part of Yerevan's assistance programs to Lebanon's Armenian community, and authorities were ready to receive 100–150 families. According to him, local media further reported on plans to move 15 additional families in the near future.

Referring to Hikmet Hajiyev, the foreign policy advisor to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Huseynov said that Armenians' settlement in the occupied territories contradicts both international law and Armenia's legislation. He added that it is not the first time ethnic Armenians have been resettled in Karabakh and other occupied Azerbaijan territories. In the wake of the Syrian civil war outbreak, more than 15,000 Armenians applied for asylum in Armenia, some of whom ended up in Karabakh.

In conclusion, Huseynov stressed that OSCE Minsk Group and other international organizations have yet to comment on Azerbaijan's appeal on Armenia's illegal actions. As a result, it seriously aggravated the situation.