Non-official translation

The Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan expresses its deep concern in regard with the adoption by the Senate of the French Republic of the law on recognition of so-called Armenian genocide and considers the Senate’s attempt to judge the events, claimed to happen 85 years ago, as a wrong step, which can cause new problems in the Caucasus. The world community is aware of the fact that the Armenian nationalists try to rely on their image of «long-suffering and tortured people» image and falsehood facts, that as if they have been subjected to genocide, in order to veil their policy of hostility and genocide against the Turkic nations, which they have conducted for the period of more than one hundred years, and to justify their territorial claims towards the neighboring nations and war of aggression.

Unfortunately, the Senate of the French Republic, which is guided by the democratic principles in its activity, falling under the influence of the Armenian Diaspora, has lost its feelings of objectivity, and has adopted unfair law showing indifference to the historic realities. Political evaluation given after a long period of time to the so-called fact of the Armenian genocide during the World War I, is not a simple issue to be left on the paper as it is claimed by some members of the Senate of the French Republic. Recognition of so-called Armenian genocide by some of the world and European states, including France, causes a serious concern in Turkey and the region of Caucasus, creates grounds for the aggravation of relations between the nations and for new territorial claims by Armenia. It is not surprising that the Republic of Armenia, violating the norms of international law and basic principles of the OSCE, refuses to recognize the territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Scientists, including French ones, adherent to scientific facts, proved long ago that there was no Armenian genocide. In fact, starting from the end of the XIX century the Armenian nationalists under the illegal and legal patronage of the Russian Tsar conducting mass acts of terror and massacres on the territory of nowadays Turkish Republic and Caucasus brutally killed up to one million of innocent Turkish and Azerbaijani civilians, ruined hundreds of civil settlements, ancient historical monuments, cemeteries and tried to destroy all the signs of Turkish presence on that territory.

The Armenian nationalists perpetrated cruel massacre against the civilians in 1905-1907 in Iravan and Zangazur (nowdays territory of the Republic of Armenia), Tiflis, Baku, Nakhcivan, Ganja, Karabakh, in 1914 in the Eastern Anadolu - Arzurum, Kars, Ardahan, Adana, in 1918-1920 in Baku, Shamakhi, Guba, Mugan and Lankaran. On March 31, 1918 in the city of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, over 30.000 civilians were killed within one day. It is suprising and regretfull that, today the Parliament of France, intending to evaluate the history, closes its eyes on these facts.

Hostile policy towards the Azerbaijanis was also continued during the Soviet period. Thus with the support of pro-Armenian leadership of the USSR about half million of Azerbaijanis were deported or expelled from Armenia in 1948-1953 and 1988-1989, hundreds of them were killed on the grounds of their ethnic belonging.

The Senate of France is aware of the fact that as a result of war of agression and ethnic cleansing policy conducted in 1988 with the intention to annex forcibly the Nagorny Karabakh region of Azerbaijan and to join it to Armenia 20 percent of the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan has been occupied, one million of Azerbaijanis have been forcibly displaced from the territory of Armenia and from their home places on the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Over 18 thousand of Azerbaijanis were killed, 20 thousand of civilians injured, 50 thousand of people became disabled, 4 thousand persons disappeared or were taken as hostages, 877 towns, villages and districts were plundered, destroyed and burned.

The fact that, the Senate of the French Republic, while accepting the claims of the Armenian nationalists over the period of beginning of the XXth century, closes eyes to wars of aggression conducted by this nationalists nowadays and genocide against the Azerbaijani people and policy of ethnic cleansing perpetrated by them, shows clearly that the Senate has taken pro-Armenian and biased position. In order to imagine the scope and brutality of the genocide crime committed by the Armenian armed forces against the Azerbaijanis, it is enough just to remember the tragedy, which took place in the town of Khojaly in 1992, February 26. As a result of this tragic event, which is one of the most severe atrocities in the history of mankind, the whole city was devastated by the Armenian armed forces, 613 civilian Azerbaijanis, including 63 children, 106 women were brutally killed, 487 people disabled, 1 275 persons - old people, children, women were taken captives and were subjected to severe abuses, tortures and horrors.

Despite the fact that significant part of its territory is under occupation and one out of the 8 people of its population is a refugee living in tent camps in hard conditions, the Republic of Azerbaijan is committed to peacefully eliminate the consequences of the aggression perpetrated by the Republic of Armenia. As it is known, in order to settle the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict yet in 1994 a conflict resolution mechanism was established by the OSCE Minsk Group and its co-chairmanship. At present, the French Republic, together with the United States of America and the Russian Federation, is one of the co-chairmen of the Minsk Group. We very much hope for the objective position, and thought over and balanced policy of France in regard with the just settlement of the conflict on the basis of whole acceptance of norms of international law, including the principle of observance of the territorial integrity of states.

At the time when we are expecting the measures to be taken by France in order to promote the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, unfortunately, the legislative body of this country under the influence of the false propaganda of the Armenian chauvinists has adopted a law, which can cause an increase of tension between the nations and is far away from the historical truth. Adoption of the law by the Senate of the French Republic on the so-called Armenian genocide and its approval by the President of the French Republic causes serious suspicions in regard with the objective position of France in its capacity of a co-chairman of the Minsk Group and leaves small space for our hopes concerning the activity of this group.

But we are sure that adoption of such a law does not express the opinion of the French people in general, as well as of the majority of the members of the parliament of France. Participation of 50 members out of 300 of the Senate of the French Republic in the meeting where the abovementioned law has been adopted is a proof of that. However, in all cases these are the historians who should deal with the history, as the parliament is not a body to pass decisions on the historical events, which happened long ago. It is a subject for scientific research.

As it is known, in accordance with the UN Convention on «The prevention and punishment of the Crime of Genocide» of December 9, 1948, genocide is defined as a crime violating the norms of international law and it is the competence of the International Court to satisfy suits in defining responsibility of any state for committing this crime. In this case assuming by the Senate of the French Republic of a role of an international judge should be evaluated in itself as a violation of the international legal norms and creation of ground for interference into internal affairs of other states.

The Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan expressing its deep concern over the fact of getting access of so-called «Armenian genocide» falsification to the Senate of the French Republic, used as a mean of propaganda by the certain circles of the Armenian nationalists and their supporters in order to achieve their malicious goals, states that this so-called law, which will hamper the efforts to establish peace and stability in the Caucasus region can not cause any legal consequences. The parliament of Azerbaijan expressing the will of the people of Azerbaijan, strongly protests against the adoption of the unjust law of the Senate of the French Republic on recognition of so-called «Armenian genocide» and states to the World Community that the information circulated about the «Armenian genocide» is not true.

(Statement adopted at the meeting of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan on February 2, 2001)