The Chairman of the Azerbaijan Society of Oncologists Academic Jamil Aliyev has issued a statement on Armenia's military provocations against Azerbaijan, measures taken to prevent them and the current situation addressed to scientific centers specialized in oncology, international public health associations and the medical community.

The statement informs the world medical community and oncology centers about Armenia's 27-year-old policy of aggression which is a constant threat to peace and security in the region, attempts of some international organizations to approach Azerbaijan with double standards and the current military-political situation.   

The fruitless peace talks, which lasted for almost 30 years, stalled after the Pashinyan regime came to power; and the occupying regime began to impose unacceptable conditions and make dangerous claims. By promoting the slogan "Karabakh is Armenia and point" and strengthening it with the concept of "a new war for new territories", Pashinyan, in fact, made the negotiation process meaningless and forced Azerbaijan to repel the Armenian aggression.

The statement notes: “On September 27, 2020, the armed forces of Armenia launched large-scale military operations against the Republic of Azerbaijan, intensively firing on the positions of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces as well as Azerbaijani civil settlements. The Armed Forces of Azerbaijan, based on the right of self-defense and International Humanitarian Norms, have decided to conduct counter-offensive operations against the occupying forces of Armenia in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.

Since September 27, 2020, Azerbaijani civilians living in the cities and regions 50-250 km far from the frontline - Ganja, Mingachevir, Fuzuli, Yevlakh, Goranboy, Naftalan, Bilasuvar, Agdam, Tartar, Agjabadi, Barda, Khyzy and other regions – have been continuously attacked. As a result, 41 civilians were killed and more than 207 people were wounded; 1185 houses, 57 apartment buildings and 148 civil objects were damaged or destroyed. A number of private properties, a reservoir, an electric station in Mingachevir, the energy pipelines supplying the crude oil and natural gas from the Caspian Sea to Europe (the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline and the South Caucasus Pipeline), the regional court building, schools, kindergartens, markets and shops located in Tartar zone were attacked by the Armenian armed forces. On October 11, rocket attacks on the apartment buildings in the central part of Ganja killed 10 civilians, including 5 women, and injured 35 civilians, as well as damaged more than 10 apartment buildings and more than 100 different facilities.

The current Armenian-Azerbaijani armed conflict is based on the Armenian illegal occupation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven adjacent regions, being internationally recognized as belonging to Azerbaijan and being the Azerbaijani historical territories.

 It should be noted that all international diplomatic efforts, including the negotiations within the OSCE Minsk Group for the peaceful settlement of the armed conflict, have so far been ineffective due to the unconstructive approach of Armenian government and leadership.

Armenia openly refuses the UN Security Council Resolutions No. 822, 853, 874, 884 of 1993 which recognize the Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent regions as an integral part of Azerbaijan and demand the immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of the Armenian forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, as well as a number of other resolutions of leading international organizations, such as the Non-Aligned Movement, the Council of Europe and the European Union. . Armenian authorities refuse to recognize the right of Azerbaijan to liberate their lands and attract a large number of mercenaries to the conflict zone trying to expand the geography of the conflict through lies.

Protection of the inviolability of the borders of the Republic of Azerbaijan against external threats and ensuring human rights and freedom of everyone in its territory is in accordance with all obligations and norms under the International Law, including the 1949 Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols. Azerbaijan Government has always stated that it adheres to the basic principle of the International Humanitarian Law which requires the armed forces to distinguish between fighters and civilians, military and civilian objects. In addition, the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan have consistently reaffirmed and will continue to adhere to the commitment for the prohibition attacks targeting civilians or damaging civilians’ property.

The statement says: “We and the entire Azerbaijani medical community support the efforts of Azerbaijan Government to restore its territorial integrity and ensure the return of all refugees to their homes by reaffirming their rights.

We hope that you will also raise your voice for the liberation of the occupied territories, the return of hundreds of thousands of refugees and internally displaced persons to their native lands, and the prevention of Armenia's illegal attempts that do not comply with any war laws. "

At the end of the statement, Chairman of the Azerbaijan Society of Oncologists, Academician Jamil Aliyev called all the similar medical institutions, governmental and commercial structures, the medical community to support the country's multilateral efforts to protect human rights and freedom.