The full restoration of IDPs` human rights requires a solution to the conflict based on international law, in particular the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of international borders of states.
Deputy Chairman of the State Committee for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons Fuad Huseynov made this statement during his online lecture held by ADA University for foreign diplomats on the state policy pursued in the field of work with refugees and IDPs.
The diplomats were informed about the history, reasons and current situation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the humanitarian crisis faced by our country as a result of the conflict and its ongoing consequences. It was noted that four UN Security Council resolutions on the unconditional withdrawal of Armenian troops from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, as well as decisions adopted by other international organizations still remain unfulfilled.
Addressing the social problems of IDPs is one of the priorities of social policy implemented under the leadership of the President. The President Ilham Aliyev has made important decisions on strengthening the social protection of people from this category and improving their housing and living conditions. The number of settlements built for them is growing year by year, and every year thousands of internally displaced families are relocated to new apartments. The First Vice President Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva pays particular attention to addressing the problems of IDPs.
They were informed about the recent provocations committed by the Armenian military units and the counter-offensive operation carried out by the Azerbaijani Army against Armenia in response. It was noted that the Azerbaijani Army is fighting in its own lands within the internationally recognized borders under the international law. Although Azerbaijan's successful counter-offensive operations are aimed at neutralizing Armenian military facilities in the occupied territories, the Armenian side continues to fire rockets and artillery at settlements populated by civilians, the number of casualties is growing day by day, and many houses and civilian facilities are severely damaged. We regretfully report that there are IDPs among the casualties.
It was stated that the UN Security Council has not yet taken any effective measures to have its resolutions implemented and the OSCE Minsk Group to resolve the conflict peacefully. Therefore, Azerbaijan began to take peace enforcement measures against the aggressor and managed to liberate a number of territories from occupation in a short time.
The program “Great Return” has been developed considering the participation of government agencies and international organizations, their opinions and suggestions, and international practice. This program has already been implemented in Jojug Marjanli village of Jabrayil and Shikharkh settlement of Tartar. We are confident that soon our occupied territories will be liberated and the implementation of this State Program will cover all our regions.
At the end, multiple questions of participants related to the counter-offensive operation carried out by Azerbaijan and international policy and humanitarian law issues of other countries have been responded.
Diplomats from Niger, Republic of Madagascar, Guinea, Ghana, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Djibouti, Gambia, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Mauritania and Benin attended the lecture hour organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs` International Development Assistance Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan jointly with ADA University in the framework of the “Advanced foreign service program for foreign diplomats” in order to support the development of human capital in developing countries.
