Ocampo in search of the "truth" Acknowledging Armenia’s anti-Azerbaijan aggression

Recently, Caliber.Az reported that former International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo, known for his openly pro-Armenian stance, publicly acknowledged that Armenia occupied Azerbaijani territories. In an interview with German journalist Bianca Schmolze (who, by the way, is also involved in the anti-Azerbaijani circles), Ocampo responded to a question about the legitimacy of the so-called "Republic of Artsakh" by stating: "Well, under Armenia, there was territory that was Azerbaijani, that’s true, and Armenia occupied territory that belonged to Azerbaijan. That’s true."

It seems that the reason behind the former ICC prosecutor’s unexpected yet essentially fair acknowledgement was the lack of any opportunity at the time to manoeuvre or mislead the international community. However, Ocampo continued to surprise as the webinar progressed. When asked, “How should we respond to Azerbaijani advocates who label the destruction of Aghdam, Jabrayil, and Fuzuli as genocide?” he replied just as directly.

“That is why I believe would be great to have a truth commission to define what happened in different moments, to different people, because... yes, we are glad to be fair, and this is a crime committed by Armenia that we have to recognize. There is no excuse for it,” Ocampo said.

While his answers seem correct, there is still some ambiguity present. It’s clear that Ocampo, in his later years, is not willing to jeopardize his financial support and the trust of his long-time sponsors for the sake of the truth about Azerbaijan. Thus, he talks about some sort of commission. One might wonder why such a commission is necessary when there are numerous facts and video evidence confirming that Aghdam and Fuzuli were virtually erased from the face of the earth by Armenian occupiers. After all, it wasn't us who labelled Aghdam as the "Caucasian Hiroshima," but foreign journalists who visited the area that once housed the city after the 44-day war.

In this context, it’s also important to recall President Ilham Aliyev's comments about what transpired in Fuzuli after its liberation.

“The footage of our liberated cities and villages shows what savages we are facing. There is not a single surviving building in these cities, in these villages, in most of them. The city of Fuzuli has been completely destroyed. We could not find a safe building to raise the Azerbaijani flag there, but this ceremony was held at last. The buildings of all our villages have been destroyed, our mosques have been destroyed... They have destroyed all our historical sites. There are only stones left of houses," President Aliyev stated back in October 2020.

All the facts on the ground have been documented by numerous international media outlets and experts who visited the liberated territories of Azerbaijan. In this context, it is worth noting the fair assessment made by former co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group and former U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan Matthew Bryza during his visit to the Aghdam region in April 2021: “The Armenians destroyed Aghdam like the Nazis destroyed Warsaw in 1945. There is nothing left here. What a level of hatred.”

Countless other facts confirm the barbarism of the Armenian occupiers. What kind of commission is Ocampo even talking about? Perhaps he should have inquired with his fellow countryman, traveller Nicolas Pasquale, about what he had witnessed in Aghdam and other liberated areas. “The destruction in the liberated Azerbaijani territories causes a feeling of deep sadness. I have seen similar things in other parts of the world, and this is always very sad,” Pasquale stated during a familiarization trip to the Karabakh region. Or is that not enough for you, Mr. Ocampo?