THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Azerbaijan appealed to the United Nations’ highest court docket on Tuesday to induce Armenia to cease laying landmines and booby-traps on Azerbaijani territory and disclose the placement of these already laid within the newest authorized dispute targeted on the mountainous area of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Armenian consultant Yeghishe Kirakosyan dismissed the accusation, saying his nation solely laid mines as a defensive tactic to counter Azerbaijani aggression by itself territory. He known as Azerbaijan’s allegations about landmines “one other clear try to divert consideration from its personal wrongdoing”.
Azerbaijan’s Deputy International Minister Elnur Mammadov instructed judges on the Worldwide Court docket of Justice that his nation had detected greater than 2,700 Armenian landmines since December 2021, when the court docket ordered each Azerbaijan and Armenia to not take any motion that might irritate their a long time. lengthy territorial dispute.
He mentioned the mines and booby traps have been a deliberate try by Armenia to stop the return of Azerbaijanis who had been displaced from their properties by the battle.
“If Azerbaijanis getting ready the liberated areas for the return of displaced individuals can not accomplish that safely, how can displaced Azerbaijanis safely train their proper to return?” Mamadov mentioned. “The aim and influence of Armenia’s conduct are clear – Azerbaijanis should not meant to do that.”
The lawsuit was introduced throughout hearings on the court docket’s headquarters in The Hague in two circumstances introduced by Armenia and Azerbaijan alleging violations of a conference aimed toward stopping racial discrimination.
The authorized skirmishes come amid rising tensions, simply over two years after neighboring states ended a battle in Nagorno-Karabakh that killed some 6,800 troopers and displaced some 90,000 civilians. The distant and rugged area is in Azerbaijan however has been below the management of ethnic Armenian-backed Armenian forces because the finish of a separatist battle in 1994.
Russia negotiated a ceasefire to finish the battle in 2020. It granted Azerbaijan management of components of Nagorno-Karabakh and adjoining lands occupied by Armenians. Russia despatched a peacekeeping power of two,000 troopers to take care of order.
Mammadov mentioned that 282 Azerbaijanis, together with 33 civilians, have been killed by mines because the finish of the battle.
“Armenia’s laying of land mines and booby traps in or close to areas the place Azerbaijanis as soon as lived – and are anticipated to return – particularly to terrorize Azerbaijanis have to be seen within the broader context of its greater than three decades-long marketing campaign of ethnic… cleaning and incitement towards Azerbaijan,” he mentioned.
At hearings on Monday, Armenian attorneys requested the court docket to order Azerbaijan to interrupt up a street blockade isolating Nagorno-Karabakh, describing the motion as a part of an act of “ethnic cleaning”. Azerbaijan denied the declare and accused Armenia of utilizing the dispute to create leverage in peace talks.
The street generally known as the Lachin Hall is the one land connection between Armenia and the ethnically Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh area of Azerbaijan.
Attorneys representing Azerbaijan on Tuesday denied that their request for “interim measures,” because the court docket calls it, was a criticism request following Armenia’s request, which was mentioned on Monday. As a substitute, they mentioned a court docket order was important to saving lives threatened by the hidden explosives.
“The crux of the matter is that this: Azerbaijanis proceed to endure severe accidents and die as a result of Armenia refuses to share the data that would save them,” Mammadov mentioned.
Armenian Consultant Kirakosyan instructed the judges that “Armenia doesn’t lay mines outdoors of its territory, not to mention in civilian areas,” including, “Armenia has by no means, ever set booby traps anyplace.”
The newest flare-up in pressure comes regardless of court docket orders simply over a 12 months in the past ordering the 2 nations to stop post-war discrimination towards one another’s residents and to not additional escalate the battle.
The court docket is predicted to difficulty a closing choice on each international locations’ requests for interim measures inside weeks.