ATUC
09 Oct 2020
As the Confederation of Trade Unions of Azerbaijan, on behalf of our members, we would like to express our deep concern over the draft resolution 1165 submitted to the US Congress by Jackie Speier, a member of the US Congress, on October 1.
The provisions of this draft resolution grossly violate
the relevant provisions of the UN Security Council and run counter to the
mutually beneficial partnership established between the United States and
Azerbaijan over many years.
Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, recognized by all
countries of the world, including the United States, is being deliberately
violated, and 20 percent of our territory has been occupied by Armenia for
nearly 30 years.
As you know, since September 27, the Armenian armed
forces have been carrying out large-scale military operations along the
frontline, intensively attacking the positions of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces
using large-caliber weapons, mortars and various artillery devices. These
operations openly and deliberately kill civilians, target kindergartens,
schools and hospitals.
As of October 7, 25 Azerbaijani civilians were killed,
127 were injured and more than 500 residential buildings and civilian objects
were destroyed as a result of artillery and rocket shells fired by Armenia from
our territory. Armenian armed forces are intensively shelling the densely
populated cities of Ganja, Mingachevir, Goranboy, Naftalan, Yevlakh, Agjabadi,
Beylagan, Barda, Shamkir, Khizi and Absheron, which are far from the conflict
zone.
Armenian armed forces fired two missiles at the city of
Mingachevir, where a huge reservoir and power plant are located. Cluster bombs,
banned by international conventions, were dropped on Ganja, Azerbaijan's second
largest city with a population of more than 500,000.
With these provocative actions, Armenia violates the
norms and principles of international law, international humanitarian law and
tries to involve other countries in the conflict.
UN Security Council Resolutions 822, 853, 874 and 884
(1993), the main guarantor of international peace and security, explicitly
state that the Armenian armed forces must be completely and unconditionally
withdrawn from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.
These resolutions condemn the aggressive steps taken
against Azerbaijan, emphasize the importance of protecting non-conflict
civilians and the inadmissibility of the use of force to gain territory, and
support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan and the
inviolability of its internationally recognized borders.
It is an undeniable fact that Armenia, using the services
of the Armenian lobby, is trying to cover up its aggressive intentions against
Azerbaijan in the international arena, including the US Congress, portraying
Armenians as an oppressed, helpless people.
Armenian lobby groups are biased against Azerbaijan and
Turkey. Draft Resolution 1165 is proof of this.
The subjective and unfair draft resolution poses a direct
threat to US energy and security interests in the South Caucasus.
We believe that by rejecting the proposed draft
resolution 1165, the US Congress will demonstrate its commitment to the
principles of long-term cooperation between the United States and Azerbaijan
and the national interests of both countries.
