Daily Times

In an outright violations of the UN Resolutions, regional and global treaties, Armenia organized illegal combined presidential- parliamentary elections in the occupied region of Nagorno-Karabakh on March 31. Armenian authorities adopted the date of elections to put salt on the wounds of brave Azeri when across the globe they were mourning and paying homage to the martyrs of Guba region ruthlessly killed in a genocide by the Armenians on the same date of March 31 in 1918. Huge mass graves was excavated in 2007 and thereafter in 2013 a Genocide Memorial Complex raised on the site. Global community including regional and international organizations have denounced these unlawful elections. The fake elections were meant to create threat to not only the peace and stability of the region but also risked the territorial integrity, sovereignty and inviolability of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Armenians and their puppet regime in the Nagorno-Karabakh region organized the elections also at the time when the world is battling its way to the recent COVID-19 deadly outbreak, creating further condemnation for endangering the lives of the innocent people in such times. Hence falsifying the raisond’etre of these elections during such times. The elections rekindled extra tensions between two Caucasian nations that have been at the loggerheads since the early 1990s.

Immediately, after the so-called elections were declared by Armenia in the occupied territory, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan issues an urgent statement denouncing these fraudulent elections terming them illegitimate and an outright infringement of the Constitution of Azerbaijan, charter of the UN, and the four strong resolutions by the UN Security Council. Similarly European Union, supporting the Minsk Group and its process of interventions towards a peaceful settlement, has also denied these elections in the occupied region. Similarly, organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), considered the holding of these faulty elections in the occupied region as “in contravention” to the significant United Nations Security Council resolution. Apart from these, NATO, GUAM, OSCE Minsk Group , Turkic Council and many states across the world have condemn these elections and calling Armenia to refrain from creating such conflicting situations that can cause further escalation of the conflict. Even organizing such elections, if Armenia believes that this can give a slightest legitimacy to its actions then this will not be happening in this region lifetime. This has again exposed Armenia in front of the international community as this is a gross violation of the human rights of Azerbaijanis living in the Nagorno-Karabakh region where they are facing the threat of ethnic cleansing since the time of occupation. As a result of these Armenian actions, thousands of people have been massacred and a million more have become refugees and internally displaced.

One of the important initiative for the regional peace process is the organization for Security and Cooperation for Europe (OSCE) created Minsk Group Co-chaired by US, France and Russia, acting as a mediator for the solution of the situation

Since the end of the Cold War and disintegration of the Soviet Union, legacy of the empire left a never ending conflict in the Caucasian region in the form of Nagorno-Karabakh- a region unlawfully captured by Armenia during the 1992 all-out war between the two Caucasian countries. It was in 1988 when Armenia began illegally occupying the territories of Azerbaijan by using the brutal force and military might. Azerbaijan and Armenia, the two former Soviet Republics fought this war about 20 percent of Azerbaijan including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and other seven surrounding regions and districts, were confiscated by Armenia through the ruthless use of force killings thousands of innocent people making historic Khojaly genocide which has never been forgotten by the Azerbaijani patriots. However, keeping in view the sensitivity of the situation and ground realities of the conflict embedded in a broad sense of divide and human sufferings, international community and regional countries have made their efforts to keep the calm in the region. As late as 1994, a fragile ceasefire agreement, backed by Russia, was made possible through a series of negotiations. Even Armenia has not been recognized as a legitimate state by Turkey and Pakistan because of the unauthorized settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Even though the presence of the ceasefire between the two, regular skirmishes in the border regions have remained the new normal for the unfortunate inhabitants of the occupied land and the border regions of Azerbaijan. Even as early as this March, 30th Armenia accused Baku for the violation of the fragile cease-fire.

Till this date, Armenia has failed to implement the four UN Security Council resolutions passed in favor of the withdrawal of armed forces of Armenia from the Azerbaijan’s occupied lands. These resolutions and various other international and regional organization’s recommendations for the peaceful resolutions of the conflict in accordance to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Azerbaijani land has remained thoroughly neglected Armenia. As instead of taking care of them from the dreadful COVID-19 pandemic, the Armenians exposed them with disease and provoked them to vote without protecting them. As a result of the military spending by the power hungry Armenia, there is less expenditure on health systems and on the betterment of the people.

One of the important initiative for the regional peace process is the organization for Security and Cooperation for Europe (OSCE) created Minsk Group Co-chaired by US, France and Russia, acting as a mediator for the solution of the situation. Even the Minsk Group do not recognized the Nagorno-Karabakh as independent and sovereign sate hence made their statement that the Minsk group has rejected the elections. In their joint statement the Group has also put forward that the final status of the region and the ongoing peace negotiations will not be affected and “prejudge” by these elections and their outcomes. These elections are threat to the entire peace negotiation process and can put the efforts of the Minsk Group on the back burner.

Often an aggressor undertakes acts in a rush to seek maximum favors, but those acts boomeranged in a fashion that leads against the truths. Truth invariably won in these elections, the revelation broke away strong and obvious that the Azerbaijan is the genuine and honored owner of the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia has not only done genocides in the past but has again continued jeopardizing the lives of the not merely innocent Azerbaijanis in the Nagorno-Karabakh regions but also the Armenians as well specially exposing them to the COVID-19 infection by running such bogus elections. Everyone in the world has drawn notice and out rightly renounced the full fake election process and there is nothing left in the hands of Armenians despite mocking applause.

The writer is Director at Centre for Central Asia and Eurasian Studies of Institute of Peace and Diplomatic Studies