Dutch Azerbaijani community protests against Armenia's military, environmental provocations PHOTO

Azerbaijanis of the Netherlands have held a peaceful rally in front of the Peace Palace in the Hague.

The rally organised by "Ana Vatan" Association of Azerbaijani Women of Europe with the support of the Coordination Council of Azerbaijanis of the Netherlands and Belgium was held in protest against the attempts of Armenia, which for 30 years pursued an invasive policy against Azerbaijan, to once again turn the world community into a tool of political, military and information manipulation and to commit provocations in the Garabagh region, Azertag reports per the State Committee for Work with Diaspora.

The protesters were holding placards that read "Azerbaijan wants peace and Armenia wants war", "Armenia rejects peace and chooses war", "Armenia distorts facts, deceives the world community", "There should be no Armenian soldiers on Azerbaijani lands!", "Armenia, stop the attack!", "Armenia, stop mining our lands! ", "Armenian mines kill civilians!", "Armenian mines = war crimes!", "Put an end to environmental terror in the territories of Azerbaijan!", "Armenia destroys Azerbaijani cultural heritage in Iravan", "Stop plundering the natural resources of Azerbaijan!", "Stop causing irreparable damage to the environment!", etc.

The participants demanded that the international community put an end to Armenia's military and environmental terror in Azerbaijan’s Garabagh region, ensure the safety and human rights of Azerbaijani citizens in Garabagh, and support the peace efforts of the Azerbaijani state.

During the event, the flags of Azerbaijan and Türkiye were waved, and Azerbaijani musicians performed mugham excerpts and songs dedicated to the Garabagh region.

It should be noted that booklets reflecting Armenia's war and environmental crimes were distributed to the residents of the Hague. According to the booklets, mines laid in the territories of Azerbaijan threaten people's lives, and after the war of 2020 the number of mine victims in Azerbaijan has reached 303 to date, emphasising that the refusal of official Yerevan to provide accurate maps of minefields is a gross violation of human rights.

The booklets also underlined that the mistreatment of Azerbaijanis, evidence of which is periodically disseminated in the Armenian media, contradicts Geneva Convention III. Attention was drawn to the fact that several Azerbaijani soldiers taken hostage have been subjected to physical and moral abuse and insults.

Besides, the booklet pointed out that illegal exploitation of gold and copper-molybdenum deposits is carried out in Azerbaijan’s Garabagh region, noting that more than 60 thousand hectares of forest lands are destroyed, rivers are polluted.