Plight of refugees and other persons of concern does not affect only hosting countries, but rather have much a wider effect on the security and stability of the whole region.

It was noted in the statement on the World Refugee Day issued by Permanent Mission of Azerbaijan to the OSCE in the 1106th meeting of the Permanent Council.

The statement notes that Azerbaijan has been coupling with the refugee and IDPs issue for more than twenty years. “250 thousand Azerbaijanis had been expelled from the territory of Armenia and hundred thousands of ethnic Azerbaijanis had been forcefully expelled from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan as a result of the ongoing aggression and the policy of ethnic cleansing of the Republic of Armenia against Azerbaijan.

Protection of this vulnerable group and restoration of their violated rights and freedom is a priority of the Government of the Republic of Azerbaijan that strives to promote durable solutions for their social problems.

At the same time, in light of relevant international norms, including the OSCE commitments, we are of firm belief that final and sustainable solution to the issue can only be achieved through ensuring their inalienable right to return in safety and dignity to their places of permanent residence.

In light of the above-mentioned, we call on all OSCE participating States, as well as OSCE executive structures to pay close attention to the issue of protection of refugees and IDPs in the OSCE area, in particular in the context of armed conflicts and to take into due account the needs of this vulnerable group in their future activities,” says the statement.

The statement reiterated call on the German Chairmanship of the OSCE to include this important topic into the agenda of the human dimension events.