Baku: ‘The Western Azerbaijan Community (WACC) condemns the biased statements made by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Trk at the UN Human Rights Council,’ the Western Azerbaijan Community said in a statement, APA reports.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, the community expressed disappointment that the High Commissioner did not address the serious issues resulting from Armenia’s occupation of Azerbaijani territories. These issues include the destruction of religious and cultural heritage and what the community terms as mine terrorism. They also anticipated a call for Armenia to cooperate with Azerbaijan in resolving the cases of approximately 4,000 missing Azerbaijanis.

The statement criticized the High Commissioner for not condemning a recent speech by the first President of Armenia, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, which was described as racist and aimed at creating a mono-ethnic state by deporting Azerbaijanis. The community also pointed out the construction of a restaurant on the ruins of an ancient mosque in Yerevan and what they termed as revanchist statements periodically made by Armenia.

The Western Azerbaijan Community expected the High Commissioner to advocate for dialogue between Armenia and Western Azerbaijanis who seek a peaceful return to their ancestral lands. However, they argue that the High Commissioner’s actions undermined Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity by calling for the release of individuals they consider war criminals responsible for the Khojaly genocide, thereby encouraging impunity.

The community urged the High Commissioner to maintain impartiality in applying international law, humanitarian law, and human rights law, and to respect the judicial processes of sovereign states.