Azerbaijan is systematically “erasing” all traces of Armenians in the disputed territory, Yerevan said.
Azerbaijan has “completed” the ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia has argued to the United Nations Supreme Court.
In a lawsuit filed by Yerevan against its caucus neighbor and rival on charges of discrimination and ethnic cleansing, Armenia's lawyers told the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Tuesday that Baku had no control over “Armenian people” in the disputed territory. “We are erasing all traces of its existence.” .
“After years of threats, Azerbaijan has completed its ethnic cleansing of the region,” insisted Armenian representative Yeghishe Kirakosyan.
The two white nations have been fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh territory for 30 years since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Ever since Baku overran it in a military operation in September, Yerevan has sought to draw international attention to its mountainous enclave.
The ICJ lawsuit filed by Armenia in 2021 accuses Azerbaijan of glorifying racism and condoning hate speech against Armenians and destroying Armenian cultural heritage.
Armenia said this caused Azerbaijan to violate the United Nations Convention against Discrimination. Baku denies all charges.
The incident stems from the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, which left more than 6,600 people dead, and is one of three full-scale conflicts fought between the two sides over the issue.
Azerbaijan's military recaptured the mountainous region in September after years of ethnic Armenian domination, forcing most ethnic Armenians to flee to Armenia.
Kirakosyan said Baku is “currently becoming integrated.” [its control of Nagorno-Karabakh] By systematically erasing all traces of the existence of the Armenian people, including their cultural and religious heritage. ”
He told the judge that Baku was “increasingly characterizing Armenia's human rights claims as some kind of challenge to Azerbaijan's sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
“Azerbaijan is making a grave mistake. Armenia has no claims to Azerbaijan's territory and is committed to establishing conditions for a real and lasting peace,” the lawyer argued.
malice
On Monday, the first day of the hearing, Azerbaijan told the court that most of Armenia's claims do not fall within the scope of the U.N. treaty.
Baku's lawyers also accused Armenia of failing to negotiate in good faith, a treaty prerequisite for filing a case before the ICJ.
Mr Kirakossian rejected that claim. “Armenia negotiated in good faith with Azerbaijan and pursued discussions that went far beyond practicality,” he said.
In November, the court took emergency measures in response to the incident, ordering Azerbaijan to allow ethnic Armenians who fled Nagorno-Karabakh to return.
Azerbaijan said it is committed to ensuring the safety and security of all residents, regardless of their nationality or ethnic origin, and has not forced ethnic Armenians to leave Karabakh.
The hearing will only address legal challenges to the ICJ's jurisdiction and will not delve into the merits of the discrimination claim. A final judgment in either case could be years away, and the ICJ has no means of enforcing the judgment.