ARMENIA occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijani territory for nearly 30 years.
International institutions responsible for peace-building did nothing to correct the situation. Azerbaijan waited patiently and ended the occupation with its own military in 2020.
Tremendous opportunities have now emerged to create a peaceful environment in the South Caucasus.
The temporary Russian peacekeeping force, which was deployed with Azerbaijan's permission to the Karabakh region in 2020 to create an environment of trust, left in April 2024, earlier than what was foreseen in a tripartite declaration.
Now we can talk about the peace process. For three years, Azerbaijan has proposed that negotiations be held directly with Armenia, without intermediaries. Finally, the value of direct negotiations was realised.
It can be said that the main reason why significant progress has been made towards establishing peace is the negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Four non-exclave villages belonging to Azerbaijan and occupied by Armenia in the 1990s were returned to Azerbaijan in April as a result of bilateral negotiations held in a peaceful environment.
It is possible to talk about making transportation and communication lines operational again.
In order to discuss cooperation opportunities, compensation for the consequences of the war and the occupation by Armenia is of great importance.
In this context, large-scale material and moral damage to Azerbaijan has come to the fore. The intentional destruction of countless religious, cultural and historical monuments in the region occupied by Armenia is a great moral wound.
Armenia bears legal responsibility for its actions.
According to the 1907 Hague Convention Respecting the Laws and Customs of War on Land, "all necessary steps must be taken to spare, as far as possible, buildings dedicated to religion, art, science, or charitable purposes...".
Article 53 of the 1977 Protocol on the protection of victims of international armed conflict, added to the Geneva Conventions of 1949, unequivocally prohibits any act of hostility against historical monuments, works of art or places of worship that constitute the cultural or religious heritage of nations.
Azerbaijan and Armenia are parties to the 1954 Hague Convention and protocols.
It is time to work with the International Court of Justice and European Court of Human Rights on the creation of ad hoc tribunals to deal with the above-mentioned matters.
* The writer is counsellor and deputy head of mission, embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan