The damage caused by Armenia during the years of occupation of Azerbaijani lands amounts to at least $700 billion, a member of the working group on assessment of the damage caused to Azerbaijan as a result of the aggressive policy of Armenia Nusret Ibrahimov told Trend April 30.
He said that the working group still continues its work to assess the damage inflicted. These figures are minimal so far, said Ibrahimov.
“We have completed nearly 70 percent of the work,” he said. “The damage to historical monuments, natural resources has been evaluated, the damage to environment has been partly calculated.”
Ibrahimov said foreign specialists, who will assist in this work, are expected to arrive in the near future.
A working group of 15 people is operating under the state commission for rehabilitation and reconstruction of Azerbaijan’s territories occupied as a result of military operations and affected in connection with this.
The Azerbaijani presidential administration, the deputy prime minister, the chairman of the State Committee for Refugees and IDPs, Ali Hasanov, and a number of ministries and committees contribute to the group’s work.
The objective here is to calculate the inflicted damage, with the participation of international organizations and in line with international standards.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council’s four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
/Trend/
