Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry: War Trophy park in Baku is associated with our history

The Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan commented on the decisions of the UN International Court of Justice on counterclaims of Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan also spoke about the War Trophy Park in Baku, which the Armenian side demanded to close.

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“War Trophy Park is associated with our history”

“Prior to filing a claim with the UN International Court of Justice, Armenia raised the issue of the trophy park in various international structures”, Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elnur Mammadov said in a briefing today.

Mammadov represented the interests of Azerbaijan during the hearings on the claims of the parties in the International Court of Justice.

According to him, the claim on the War Trophy Park did not come as a surprise to Azerbaijan.

‘War trophies park’ in Baku sparks controversy domestically and abroad

The “War Booty Park” in Baku was received with great enthusiasm by the local society, but it is sharply criticized outside the country

“Armenia also addressed various states on this matter. In some cases, pro-Armenian forces have supported this position. But there can be no talk of ethnic hatred towards the Armenian people. This park is associated with history.

Weapons used against Azerbaijan during the Patriotic War [the second Karabakh war in autumn 2020 – JAMnews] in the territories that remained under occupation for 30 years are displayed in this park. There you can also see confirmation of the use of ballistic missiles by Armenia. These facts are shown to officials and journalists arriving from abroad.

In court, we stated that this park has nothing to do with the ethnic hatred of the Armenian people. In court, Armenia consistently showed that it is trying to earn political points by achieving a decision on the indicated park. From a political point of view, the closure of this park was very important for Armenia. But we were gladdened by the fair judgment of the court on this matter”, Elnur Mammadov said.

Dummies and helmets disappear from Baku war trophy park, but not completely. Photo

Changes have taken place in the war trophy park in Baku – there are no more wax figurines of Armenian soldiers and no alleys of “enemy helmets”

“Violations of the Armenian side will be considered in the future as well”

“All confirmed violations committed by the Armenian side will be considered not only in the UN International Court of Justice but also in other international structures so that Armenia is brought to justice for violations of international law”, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan also stated.

He noted that Azerbaijan has filed several lawsuits against Armenia in various international courts since each of them considers complaints within the framework of a certain convention.

“The first claim of Azerbaijan to the European Court of Human Rights in February of this year was filed on the basis of the 1950 European Convention. It concerned the aggressive policy of Armenia towards Azerbaijan, the occupation of the territory of our country by the Armenians and the Armenian aggression during the Patriotic War.

In another lawsuit to the UN International Court of Justice, all the necessary evidence that Armenia is carrying out aggressive propaganda against Azerbaijan, calls for a new war against Azerbaijan, cultivates and incites hatred of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani people in its country, both at the level of the population and various organizations, has been presented. Unlike Armenia, Azerbaijan respects the cultural monuments of other countries and religions.

I would like to note that in its lawsuit, Armenia argued that the citizens of Armenian citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan were detained only because they were Armenians and demanded their return. This demand is not accidental and is connected with the political situation in Armenia. We submitted all relevant court documents to the International Court of Justice with detailed explanations. In addition, there was a demand to treat the detained Armenians humanely, but Azerbaijan presented the court with all the evidence that, was, indeed, the case. Thus, Armenia was unable to receive political dividends [ it was hoping for]”, he stressed.

According to the Deputy Minister, Azerbaijan will continue filing lawsuits to bring Armenia to justice:

“In future, Azerbaijan plans to file lawsuits against Armenia over environmental damage and illegal use and exploitation of natural resources”.