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Settlement of civilian population by Armenia in the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Doc. 10239
29 June 2004

Motion for a recommendation
presented by Mr Seyidov and others

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only the members who have signed it

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            Since the occupation of the territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Armenia has been making efforts in order to legitimate this occupation, especially by settling the Armenian civilian population in those territories.  During the last ten years, hundreds of persons have been transferred by Armenia into the occupied regions of Azerbaijan. The people giving their consent to be settled in the occupied regions receive financial aid, cattle, livestock and land from the Armenian authorities.

            The policy of Armenia to transfer its civilian population into the occupied territories is in strict contradiction with norms of international law prohibiting such actions.  Thus, according to the Geneva Conventions for the Protection of Victims of War (Geneva Conventions relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, article 49) “the occupying power shall not deport or transfer part of its own civilian population into the territory it occupies”.

            In the meanwhile, carrying out such kind of settlement policy, Armenia ignores the Recommendation 1570 (2002) of the PACE, which urges the Armenian authorities not to give the refugees and displaced persons access to the lands in the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

            The Assembly expresses its concern over these facts and recalls that, any action directed towards legitimating the status of the occupation is illegal.

            In this regard, the Assembly calls on the Committee of Ministers to take the necessary steps to prevent Armenia from continuing the settlement of its civilian population in the occupied Mountainous Karabakh and other seven regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Signed [1]:
SEYIDOV Samad, Azerbaijan, EDG
ALIBEYLI Gulamhuseyn, Azerbaijan, EDG
ALIYEV Bakhtiyar, Azerbaijan, SOC
ATES Abd�lkadir, Turkey, SOC
�AVUSOGLU Mevl�t, Turkey, EDG
GOULET Daniel, France, LDR
HUSEYNOV Ali, Azerbaijan, EDG
HUSEYNOV Rafael, Azerbaijan, LDR
KERIMLI Azer, Azerbaijan, LDR
LINDBLAD G�ran, Sweden, EPP/CD
LOUTFI Younal, Bulgaria, LDR
MIRZAZADA Aydin, Azerbaijan, EDG
MOLLAZADE Azim, Azerbaijan, LDR
PROVERA Fiorello, Italy, LDR
RAKHANSKY Anatoliy, Ukraine, UEL
SHAKHTAKHTINSKAYA Naira, Azerbaijan, EDG
S�NDERGAARD S�ren, Denmark, UEL
VAKILOV Vagif, Azerbaijan, EDG

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[1]

SOC EPP EDG LDR UEL NR

Socialist Group Group of the European People’s Party European Democratic Group Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group Group of the Unified European Left Not registered in a group