Armenia creates groups of refugees from the Middle East for sending them to Nagorno-Karabakh in order to involve them in military operations, Vahan Martirosyan, head of Armenian Intra-national Liberation Movement said.
Martirosyan, who earlier asked Azerbaijan for political asylum, made the remarks at a press conference in Baku on Sept.18.
He said that during the military operations in the Middle East, around 15,000-20,000 refugees, mostly of Armenian origin, came to Armenia.
“Witnessing all the horrors in Armenia, the majority of them left immediately,” said Martirosyan. “Groups for sending to Nagorno-Karabakh are created from the rest, mainly those who have a criminal record.”
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.
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