Entrepreneurial activity in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan carried out by citizens of Armenia and other countries is illegal, and the responsibility, both administrative and legal, is carried by Yerevan as the side which occupies Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts, the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan reminded today.
"Azerbaijan is the only country that has internationally recognized sovereignty over the occupied territories. Armenia is responsible for starting the war against Azerbaijan, occupation of the territory of the country, carrying out mass ethnic cleansing in the occupied territories. Like any other military occupation, the occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia is of a temporary nature," the head of the press service of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministery Hikmet Hajiyev stated.
"In spite of the negotiations conducted in accordance with the principles of international law and resolutions 822, 853, 874 and 884 adopted by the UN Security Council in 1993, Armenia continues to artificially populate the occupied territories, destroying Azerbaijani monuments of material culture, conduct illegal business activities in the occupied territories, and it does not allow the Azerbaijani refugees and internally displaced persons to return to their native lands. This indicates that the aim of Armenia is the annexation of the territories," the diplomat pointed out, warning that this kind of activity can be classified as a war crime.
"Foreign physical and legal individuals engaged in illegal activities in the occupied territories, violating the rules of business ethics and corporate social responsibility, contributing to the continuation of the violation of the fundamental rights of more than a million Azerbaijanis, who as a result of ethnic cleansing cannot return to their land, along with which they are violating their property rights and a number of other fundamental rights," Trend quoted him as saying.
International law obliges countries to limit both the activities and trips of legal and physical individuals to the occupied territories as a whole, not allowing them to do business there. In addition, there should be no imports of products manufactured in the occupied territories. "Azerbaijan will use all political and legal opportunities at the national and international level to prevent such illegal actions in the occupied sovereign territories," Hikmat Hajiyev concluded.
