Baku, August 4, AZERTAC

US-based Journal Star newspaper has published an letter of member of the Azerbaijani community in America Nijat Worley headlined "Pressure Armenia".

The letter reads: "July 23 marks the 22-year anniversary of the occupation of Aghdam district of Azerbaijan, forceful expulsion of 128,000 residents and complete destruction of the town. Armenia instituted a policy of an outright territorial annexation against Azerbaijan's Nagorno Karabakh region in late 1987. Then a part of the USSR, Armenian SSR was denied the territory both by the parliament of Azerbaijan SSR and Presidium of Supreme Soviet of USSR in June and July 1988, respectively, due to violation of constitutions of USSR, Azerbaijan SSR and international law. Despite this, Armenian nationalists launched an undeclared war on Azerbaijan and by mid-1992 expelled all of Nagorno Karabakh's Azeri population.

Aghdam is one of the ancient regions of Azerbaijan with a territory of 1,094 square kilometers and a population of 153,000 people. Armenians occupied the provincial capital Aghdam along with 80 villages constituting 882 square kilometers, with 128,000 out of 153,000 residents of Aghdam fled, becoming internal refugees. Occupation of Aghdam by Armenian forces caused material destruction equaling $6.179 billion, and 5,897 ethnic Azerbaijanis died in Aghdam during the attack.

From April through November 1993, the U.N. Security Council adopted four resolutions calling for the immediate withdrawal of Armenian forces and for allowing the return of Azerbaijani refugees back to their homes. On March 14, 2008, the UN General Assembly reiterated its position on territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian forces "from all the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan." Armenia has yet to comply.

As an Azerbaijani-American, I urge our citizens and the U.S. government to be proactive in exerting pressure on Armenia to take a constructive stance, force it to comply with U.N., S.C. and G.A. resolutions, withdraw from internationally recognized Azerbaijani territories and allow the return of Azerbaijani refugees to their homes.”

Yusif Babanly

Special Correspondent