TODAY.AZ / Politics

Calculation of Armenia's damages to Azerbaijan reveals enormous figures

01 May 2015 [14:15] - TODAY.AZ

/By AzerNews/

By Mushvig Mehdiyev

Azerbaijan has so far suffered huge damages in its economy, tourism, culture and many other fields in the wake of Armenia's violent and aggressive policy in the region.

According to Baku's latest calculations, the damages caused by Armenia during the years of occupation of Azerbaijani lands stand at an estimated $700 billion.

Nusret Ibrahimov, the member of the working group charged with assessing the damages caused to Azerbaijan as a result of Armenia's aggressive policy, said the working group still continues its work in order to fully assess the damages which were inflicted. He stressed that the initial figure which was given is likely to rise dramatically.

Back in the early 1990s, as the Soviet Union collapsed and former Soviet states claimed their independence, Armenia launched a military campaign against Azerbaijan. Following a violent and bloody conflict, Azerbaijan lost 20 percent of its territories to Armenia. Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions were left under armed occupation of Armenia.

For the past two decades, this reality has fueled tensions in the region.

"We have completed nearly 70 percent of the work. The damage to historical monuments, natural resources has been evaluated alongside the partly calculated detriments to the environment," Ibrahimov said.

An early investigation by the working group has revealed that about 50 mausoleums, 67 mosques, 92 places of pilgrimage, 106 tombs, as well as 262 historical monuments, 253 archaeological sites, 39 castles and 32 bridges belonging to Azerbaijan history remain under the occupation.

Over two decades pass after the Armenian invasion, but Azerbaijan is still witnessing the pernicious and insidious effects of Armenia's armed occupation as its heritage is being pillaged and its people oppressed.

The Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences disclosed that thousands of cultural and religious monuments were pillaged by Armenians in Azerbaijan's occupied lands so far.

Baku invited foreign specialists to assist the local experts in this work. The joint investigation into the calculation of damages is expected to start in the near future, as soon as foreign specialists arrive.

A working group of 15 people is currently operating under the state commission for rehabilitation and reconstruction of Azerbaijan’s occupied territories.

The ultimate target here is to calculate the inflicted damages based on international norms and standards through the participation of international organizations.

The Presidential Administration, the State Committee for Refugees and IDPs, and a number of ministries and committees are supporting such efforts.

Member of Azerbaijan Parliament, Khanhuseyn Kazimli, meanwhile, offered to use the 19th century as a starting point while calculating Armenia's destruction of Azerbaijan’s heritage, since it is then Armenians started their settlement in the Azerbaijani territories.

Besides obvious material losses, the conflict led to the death of more than 20,000 Azerbaijanis. 50,000 people were injured and over 1 million were displaced, according to Azerbaijan's State Commission on Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons.

Azerbaijan began a PR campaign in view of making its people's suffering known to the world. A book titled "Armenia's armed aggression against Azerbaijan and its severe consequences" was published in several languages: English, Russian, French, Ukrainian and Arabian, and was presented in Washington, Saint-Petersburg, Paris and Kiev.

URL: http://www.today.az/news/politics/140370.html

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