Damage from Nagorno-Karabakh conflict exceeds $800 billion

Armenia's aggression, which caused the occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent districts, has caused material damage to Azerbaijan amounting to at least $818.88 billion. Such information is contained in the report of the working group for calculation of damage. But the figure can increase in the future, because the group continues the work on calculating.

The damage assessment, based on tangible facts, supports the position of Baku in the negotiations to resolve the conflict, the head of the sector at the Presidential Administration’s Public and Political Department, Elman Pashayev, said.

In addition, the new data is forming the conditions for better protection of Azerbaijani position by government officials and representatives of NGOs. Pashayev said that the press should also be active on this issue, Trend reports.

The Director of the Diplomatic Resolution of International Controversies Center of the Russian Academy of Economy and State Administration, ad hoc judge of the European Court for Human Rights, Dmitry Matveyev, told Vestnik Kavkaza that Azerbaijan may submit an application to the International Court of Justice to obtain compensation for the damage. "There is a theoretical possibility to apply to the court, but it is very difficult to talk about the prospects of a positive decision," he warned.

Matveyev stressed that the June verdict of the European Court of Human Rights in the 'Chiragov and others v. Armenia' case, which recognized the occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenian forces and obliged Yerevan to liberate these lands and facilitate the return of refugees to their homes, won't be critical for the International Court of Justice. "The fact is that in such cases the Court says - "another court means nothing to me, I can do my own conclusions, considering all the evidence and materials" - the ad hoc judge of the European Court for Human Rights noted.

A Milli Majlis deputy, political scientist Asim Mollazade, noted that the compensation for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict damage must be waged together with other directions. "The war crimes and murders of the civilian population by Armenia are still waiting for an answer. In particular, the International Criminal Tribunal on Khojaly case, where women, children and old people were killed, must be convened. This crime is an equivalent to a crime against humanity and a form of terrorism, one of the ethnic cleansing in Azerbaijan," he said.

"If terrorism remains unanswered and the international community, international courts and tribunals do not prosecute people for such crimes, they will be repeated. The fact that we have witnessed a huge series of terrorist acts is a requirement to ensure that no crime against humanity was left without answer. And we demand justice," the expert stressed.

"We have to work on it," Asim Mollazade urged.

The expert Rovshan Ibragimov, in his turn, said that Azerbaijan can seek compensation using two ways. "The first option is a claim for compensation by some individuals, internally displaced persons, as in the 'Chiragov and others v. Armenia' case to the European Court of Human Rights. This decision is important because Armenia was recognized as the controlling side of the occupied territories. It allows Azerbaijan to present legal requirements to Yerevan," the expert believes.

The second way is associated with a total settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. "In this case, it is necessary that both countries will recognize the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice. Azerbaijan hasn't used this platform until now," Rovshan Ibrahimov noted.

"Also, during the resolution of the conflict between the sides and signing of the peace agreement, Azerbaijan may ask for compensation for the losses, which the republic has suffered during the anti-Azerbaijani military operations, as one of the conditions," the analyst said.