MFA_Report_on_the_occupied_territories_March_2016_1

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Wheat and other crops harvested in the occupied territories are transported to Armenia │Photo from minagro.nkr.am Most of the crops, wheat, barley and corn harvested in the occupied territories are transported to Armenia for domestic consumption and possibly for re-export. 407 According to Arthur Aghabekyan, so-called “deputy prime minister” of the separatist regime, in 2012 alone, some 20,000 tons of grain were transported to Armenia. 408 He also informed that the Armenians from Khankandi “obtained” land in the occupied Aghdam district and were cultivating it. Halo Trust activities in the occupied Lachyn district │Photo by Onnik James Krikorian │www. medium.com USAID-funded demining activities by Halo Trust 409 are carried out in the occupied territories, including those depopulated of their Azerbaijani inhabitants, in particular around Garikaya and Tezekend villages in the occupied Lachyn district, 410 to make those territories available for agricultural use. 411 According to the USAID/Armenia mission director Karen Hillard, 251 fields have been cleared of mines since 2000, making 27,000 hectares of land available for farming. 412 Many of those lands are provided for the use of Armenian settlers. Those demining activities are carried out amidst the reports that the armed forces of Armenia continue laying mines, specifically along the perimeter of the areas abandoned by fleeing Azerbaijani population, with the obvious purpose to prevent them from returning to their homes. The practice of continuing mine planting in the occupied territories by the armed forces of Armenia has been condemned at the international level. 413 407 See “Lottery to Assist Artsakh Resettlement”, Asbarez.com, 29 July 2013, . 408 Ibid. 409 See “De-mining Needs Assessment in Nagorno-Karabakh (NK)”, Final <strong>Report</strong>, USAID, 25 September 2013; “Completed and Current USAID Programs in Nagorno-Karabakh, 1998 to date: Nov. 15, 2010”, . 410 See “HALO Trust Completes Karegah Minefield Clearance”, Massispost.com, 23 February 2015, . 411 See “Landmine Free “Artsakh” Clears “Karegah” Minefield: Two Fundraisers Planned for U.S.”, Hetq.am, 20 February 2015, . 412 See “USAID: Karabakh will be completely cleared of mines by 2016”, News.am, 30 October 2014, . 413 See “Spindelegger concerned by use of anti-personnel mines in Nagorno-Karabach”, Press release by the Austrian Foreign Ministry, 25 September 2013, ; “Sharp drop in landmine casualties; but international funding for remaining mine clearance declines”, Press Release of Landmine Monitor 2014, 03 December 2014, . 67
XIII. Systematic pillaging, exploitation of and illicit trade in assets, natural resources and other forms of wealth in the occupied territories The occupied territories of Azerbaijan are rich in natural resources. There are around 155 deposits of precious stones, minerals and base metals, including deposits of non-ferrous metal ores, gold, mercury, copper, lead and zinc, pearlite and other natural resources. 414 Among them are gold-copper-pyrite deposits in Gyzylbulag, copper-gold, molybdenum deposits in Demirli, Armenia’s Vallex Group through its Base Metals subsidiary exploits Gyzylbulag underground gold and copper mine near Heyvaly village in the occupied Kalbajar district │Photo from www.bm.am│12 June 2012 Janyatag-Gulyatag (occupied parts of the Tartar district); gold deposits in Soyudlu, Agduzdag, Tutkhum (Kalbajar); gold deposits in Vejnali (Zangilan); lead deposits in Mehmana, Shorbulag (Kalbajar); and mercury deposits in Sarybulag, Agyatag, Levchay, Shorbulag, Qamishli, Aggaya (Kalbajar, Lachyn), Chilgazchay, Narzanly (Lachyn). The occupied territories are also rich in different types of building materials, including face stone, block stone, different types of construction stones, loam, sang-gravel chromite, lime, marble and agate. There are lime and clays deposits in Chobandag, Shahbulag, Boyahmedi (Aghdam); marble deposits in Harovdad and Shorbulag; tuff deposits in Kilseli (Kalbajar); pearlite deposits in Kechaldag (Kalbajar) etc. 415 Furthermore, there are more than 120 mineral water deposits. Among them are Yukhary (Upper) and Ashahy (Lower) Istisu, Bagyrsag and Keshdak in the Kalbajar district; Iligsu and Minkend in the Lachyn district; Turshsu and Sirlan in the Shusha district. Sweden's Atlas Copco Wagner underground mine truck of Armenia’s Vallex Group is seen working in the underground Gyzylbulag gold and copper mine near Heyvaly village in the occupied Kalbajar district │Photo from www.bm-old.vallexgroup.am Pillage of the occupied territories, including destruction, dismantling of infrastructure, such as notorious stripping of scrap metals, pipes, bricks and other construction materials from the ruins of the Azerbaijani households and public buildings, abandoned by fleeing Azerbaijani population, has been widely reported in the past. 416 If such looting was previously conducted by the individual Armenian settlers and soldiers, this practice is currently replaced with more organized system of pillage, under the direction and control of Armenia, with the scope and the geographic area of that embezzlement dramatically expanded to include also depredatory exploitation and pillage of natural resources and other forms of wealth across the occupied territories. 417 414 See fact sheet of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Azerbaijan, available at ; See also UN Doc. A/58/594-S/2003/1090, 13 November 2003; “Armenian-Azerbaijan, Nagorny Karabakh Conflict”, . 415 See the report “Minerals of Azerbaijan”, Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Azerbaijan, available at . 416 See e.g.“Tug-of-war for Nagorno-Karabakh”, BBC News, 03 June 2000, ; “Norashenik Village Project”. 417 See “The regions of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic in Figures, 2007-2013” (in Russian language), ; “Russia Seizes Subsoil of Armenia and Karabakh from Oligarchs”, Iragir. am, 11 October 2013, . 68
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Contents A. Introduction 5 B. Execu
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A. Introduction At the end of 1987,
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The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen co
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B. Executive Summary The examined e
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Armenian statistical information sh
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thus profit from and support the oc
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programmes that ultimately serve th
Page 18 and 19: the field commanders. 20 S.Ohanyan
Page 20 and 21: II. Continued attempts of Armenia t
Page 22 and 23: the country’s president.” 44 Ar
Page 24 and 25: the NKR.” 58 According to the Arm
Page 26 and 27: Armenian public to be a subsidiary
Page 28 and 29: planning, development of collaborat
Page 30 and 31: Settlement activities in the occupi
Page 32 and 33: and mechanical growth. 134 In 2001,
Page 34 and 35: the separatist regime Arthur Aghabe
Page 36 and 37: Orientation for the newly arrived S
Page 38 and 39: There are reports that Syrian Armen
Page 40 and 41: Armenia’s Dorozhnik LLC company i
Page 42 and 43: as of 2013. Thus, for example, whil
Page 44 and 45: X. Providing products, investments,
Page 46 and 47: in Armenia lack sufficient financia
Page 48 and 49: consists of public figures and busi
Page 50 and 51: percent shares of Armenia's Armswis
Page 52 and 53: Armenia’s Prime Minister Hovik Ab
Page 54 and 55: “Kataro” wine production facili
Page 56 and 57: It is difficult to determine the ac
Page 58 and 59: The Asmaryan family from Syria work
Page 60 and 61: Former Prime Minister Tigran Sargsy
Page 62 and 63: Bako Sahakyan visits agricultural f
Page 64 and 65: Armenia is particularly interested
Page 66 and 67: President of Armenia visits “Trgh
Page 70 and 71: Back in February 1995, the National
Page 72 and 73: Caterpillar heavy machines are used
Page 74 and 75: 270 tons 460 ). Extracted unprocess
Page 76 and 77: Unprocessed ore form Soyudlu gold m
Page 78 and 79: acquainted with the works there. 48
Page 80 and 81: Prime Minister of Armenia Hovik Abr
Page 82 and 83: As far as gold is concerned, Armeni
Page 84 and 85: protection) in the Bashitchay Natio
Page 86 and 87: As of 2015, approximately 460 mines
Page 88 and 89: Juma Mosque in the occupied city of
Page 90 and 91: E. Obligations and Responsibility u
Page 92 and 93: should follow the UN Guiding Princi
Page 94 and 95: No exception or provision for derog
Page 96 and 97: the invoked laws cannot be consider
Page 98 and 99: “One of the cornerstones of the l
Page 100 and 101: Serious breaches of obligations und
Page 102 and 103: Nagorno-Karabakh was unilaterally d
Page 104 and 105: A large number of domestic criminal
Page 106 and 107: F. Urgent Measures to Cease and Rev
Page 108: G. ANNEXES Original designations of
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