BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 13. Chair of the Milli Majlis (Parliament) of Azerbaijan Sahiba Gafarova spoke at the Second Conference of the Parliamentary Network of the Non-Aligned Movement and the 146th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Alen Simonyan remained true to his Armenian nature and slandered Azerbaijan. However, this time, his false claims were properly answered. Thus, Chair of the Milli Majlis, Sahiba Gafarova, in her address exposed the lies of the Armenian speaker, the press service of the Azerbaijani Parliament told Trend.

Sahiba Gafarova said in her speech that, as a result of the policy of occupation and ethnic cleansing carried out by Armenia, more than a million Azerbaijanis became internally displaced persons from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and refugees from Armenia. During the occupation, Armenia wiped out our cities and villages from the face of the earth, desecrated the historical, cultural and religious sites of Azerbaijan. As in the occupied Azerbaijani territories, Armenia destroyed all historical and religious monuments belonging to Western Azerbaijanis who lived for centuries on the territory of modern Armenia. The speaker regarded all this as an open manifestation of intolerance and hatred on the part of the mono-ethnic Armenian state.

Gafarova stated that, despite the bitter consequences of many years of occupation, immediately after the liberation of its territories from occupation in 2020, Azerbaijan initiated a peace agenda and the normalization of Azerbaijani-Armenian relations. This agenda is based on the 5 principles of international law. Despite this, in addition to misleading the international community with false information, Armenia does not fulfill its obligations and continues to illegally transport weapons and mines to the territory of Azerbaijan and rotate personnel.

She noted that the statements of the speaker of the Armenian Parliament are another manifestation of falsification carried out by Yerevan.

The speaker of the Milli Majlis noted that she regrets the speech of the representative of one of the most mono-ethnic countries in the world, known for its aggressive, discriminatory and intolerant policies, on the important topic of peaceful coexistence and an inclusive society, which was submitted for discussion in the Assembly.

Emphasizing that the speaker of the Armenian Parliament listed the national minorities living in his country and the rights allegedly granted to them, Sahiba Gafarova said that it was surprising that he did not mention the forced expulsion of Azerbaijanis from Armenia, where they lived for centuries, and that the last stage in the late 1980s led to the expulsion of over 300,000 Azerbaijanis.

Speaking about the fact that Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia have the right to return to their homes, Gafarova stressed that this right is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international acts. Armenia must create conditions for the safe and dignified return of these Azerbaijanis to their homes and ensure their individual and collective rights upon their return.

Sahiba Gafarova, touching upon the fact that the representative of Armenia without a twinge of conscience expressed the opinion that his country has no territorial claims against any country, reminded once again that Armenia has occupied the territories of Azerbaijan for almost 30 years. On the other hand, Armenia continues to maintain its armed forces in the internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan, violating the tripartite declaration signed on November 10, 2020.

She noted that the representative of Armenia did not hesitate to voice deliberately false and fabricated figures on the number of the Armenian population living in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. The leadership of Azerbaijan has repeatedly stated that all 25,000 Azerbaijani citizens of Armenian origin will enjoy the same rights as our other citizens. The well-known multicultural and tolerant policy and traditions of Azerbaijan are proof of this.

Completely rejecting the unfounded statements of the Speaker of the Armenian Parliament about the alleged "blockade" of the Lachin road, Gafarova pointed out that the Lachin road is open for the free passage of all civilian and humanitarian vehicles, and this fact is confirmed by the relevant international organizations operating in this area.

Sahiba Gafarova stressed that Azerbaijan complies with its obligations, and at the same time is committed to ensuring the realization of the rights of its citizens and the fulfillment of their legal requirements.