Azerbaijan’s Ombudsman issues statement on anniversary of Armenian attacks on BTC oil pipeline

Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of Azerbaijan, Sabina Aliyeva, has made a statement in connection with the anniversary of cluster bomb attacks on Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Main Export Oil Pipeline launched by the armed forces of Armenia, Report informs referring to the Ombudsman’s website.

“A year ago, on October 6, 2020, starting around 11 p.m., Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Main Export Oil Pipeline in Yevlakh district, located far away from the area of active hostilities, came under cluster munition fires by the Armenian armed forces.

"Scattering of fragments of over 300 cluster munitions which fell into 10 meters from that oil pipeline, which is of great strategic importance, both economically and politically, and in terms of energy security for the entire region, including Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey, also for Europe and the world countries, posed serious threats to the life and health of the civilian population.

"On the first anniversary of the cluster bomb firing of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Main Export Oil Pipeline, once again appealing to the world community and international organizations, I call for the imposition of appropriate sanctions on Armenia, which committed numerous war crimes resulting in the killing of civilians in gross violation of international law and international humanitarian law and taking decisive and fair steps to bring to justice all those responsible for the political and military leadership of that State, who were directly involved in the commission of these crimes,” reads the statement.

The statement has been sent to several international organizations, ombudsmen and national human rights institutions, embassies of the Republic of Azerbaijan in foreign countries and the foreign embassies in Azerbaijan, as well as to the Azerbaijani Diasporas.