Memorandum of Artsakh Foreign Ministry disseminated in UN

The Memorandum of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh on Azerbaijan’s international responsibility for particularly serious crimes committed in Artsakh by Azerbaijan’s citizens Shahbaz Guliyev and Dilham Askerov was circulated in the United Nations Organization (UN) on November 15.

The Memorandum particularly states, that international law provides State responsibility for crimes committed by its agents. This norm of international law, which was codified in the article 8 of the UN International Law Commission Report on State Responsibility for Internationally Wrongful Acts, reads: “The conduct of a person or group of persons shall be considered an act of a State under international law if the person or group of persons is in fact acting on the instructions of, or under the direction or control of, that State in carrying out the conduct.” Thus, the wrongful acts of individuals who, are sent as ‘volunteers’ to carry out particular missions abroad invoke states’ international responsibility.

By arming and sending a criminal group into the territory of Artsakh for espionage and subversive actions, Azerbaijan bears international responsibility for the wrongful acts committed by the group on the territory of Artsakh. Memorandum contains well-documented facts confirming the illegal armed group’s direct connection with the special services of Azerbaijan.

The Memorandum also notes that the campaign launched by the Azerbaijani authorities in various international organizations calling for assistance in securing the release of Askerov and Guliyev can also be considered as evidence of the recognition and acceptance by Azerbaijan of wrongful acts of the armed group by Azerbaijan.