©(Frederick Florin, AFP)
Azerbaijan has "completed ethnic cleansing", says Armenia to the ICJ on Tuesday, in the latest legal clash over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh.
Armenia accused bitter rival Azerbaijan of having "completed ethnic cleansing" in the former breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, but told the UN's top court Tuesday it was committed to seeking peace with its Caucasus neighbour.
The legal clash over "ethnic cleansing" comes as military tensions are again ramping up between the two following last year's conflict in the disputed mountainous area.
Armenia and Azerbaijan fought two wars, in the early 1990s and in 2020, before Azerbaijani forces last September retook full control of Nagorno-Karabakh in a lightning offensive.
Tensions have remained high since the Azerbaijani operation that triggered the exodus to Armenia of most of the enclave's entire ethnic-Armenian population of more than 100,000 people.
"After threatening to do so for years, Azerbaijan has completed the ethnic cleansing of the region," Yeghishe Kirakosyan, representing the Armenian government, told the judges.
Baku was "now consolidating it by systematically erasing all traces of ethnic Armenians' presence including Armenian cultural and religious heritage," he said.
Almost 200 Armenians remained unaccounted for, Kirakosyan added.
Baku has vigorously denied allegations of "ethnic cleansing", saying Armenians were free to return as long as they agreed to live under Azerbaijani rule.
The legal battle before the ICJ dates from September 2021 when each side filed tit-for-tat suits against each other within a week.
They accused each other of "ethnic cleansing" and of violating the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD).
On Monday, Azerbaijan urged the court to throw out Armenia's case, arguing that the court did not have jurisdiction.
The ICJ issued emergency orders in December 2021, calling on both parties to prevent incitement and promotion of racial hatred.
But while the ICJ's orders are binding, it has no enforcement mechanism and tensions grew, culminating in Azerbaijan's lightning offensive last September.
Kirakosyan also told judges that "Azerbaijan is profoundly mistaken. Armenia has no claims to Azerbaijan's territory and is also committed to establishing conditions for genuine and enduring peace," he said.
With AFP
Armenia accused bitter rival Azerbaijan of having "completed ethnic cleansing" in the former breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh, but told the UN's top court Tuesday it was committed to seeking peace with its Caucasus neighbour.
The legal clash over "ethnic cleansing" comes as military tensions are again ramping up between the two following last year's conflict in the disputed mountainous area.
Armenia and Azerbaijan fought two wars, in the early 1990s and in 2020, before Azerbaijani forces last September retook full control of Nagorno-Karabakh in a lightning offensive.
Tensions have remained high since the Azerbaijani operation that triggered the exodus to Armenia of most of the enclave's entire ethnic-Armenian population of more than 100,000 people.
"After threatening to do so for years, Azerbaijan has completed the ethnic cleansing of the region," Yeghishe Kirakosyan, representing the Armenian government, told the judges.
Baku was "now consolidating it by systematically erasing all traces of ethnic Armenians' presence including Armenian cultural and religious heritage," he said.
Almost 200 Armenians remained unaccounted for, Kirakosyan added.
Baku denies
Baku has vigorously denied allegations of "ethnic cleansing", saying Armenians were free to return as long as they agreed to live under Azerbaijani rule.
The legal battle before the ICJ dates from September 2021 when each side filed tit-for-tat suits against each other within a week.
They accused each other of "ethnic cleansing" and of violating the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD).
On Monday, Azerbaijan urged the court to throw out Armenia's case, arguing that the court did not have jurisdiction.
The ICJ issued emergency orders in December 2021, calling on both parties to prevent incitement and promotion of racial hatred.
But while the ICJ's orders are binding, it has no enforcement mechanism and tensions grew, culminating in Azerbaijan's lightning offensive last September.
Kirakosyan also told judges that "Azerbaijan is profoundly mistaken. Armenia has no claims to Azerbaijan's territory and is also committed to establishing conditions for genuine and enduring peace," he said.
With AFP
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