Parliamentary factions of Artsakh put into circulation bill relating to occupied territories

13:02, 1 February, 2022

STEPANAKERT, FEBRUARY 1, ARMENPRESS. All factions represented in the parliament of Artsakh put into circulation a draft law on the Occupied Territories of Artsakh, according to which there will be a ban on those foreign companies which will want to carry out activity in the territories of Artsakh occupied by Azerbaijan, without the permission of the Artsakh government.

“The bill was put into circulation on January 27. It will pass all stages according to the rules of procedure of the parliament and will be put on a debate at first hearing during the parliament’s session on February 16”, Vice Speaker of Parliament of Artsakh Gagik Baghunts told Armenpress, adding: “The bill contains two main messages: the first one is that we will in no case refuse from the territories enshrined by the Constitution of the Republic of Artsakh and believe that for instance the Hadrut region has been and will always be Armenian. Secondly, we apply to the governments of all countries and international organizations, which are somehow interested in having participation in different kinds of activities in the occupied territories, we warn that we will raise this issue based on the provisions of the respective law and various international norms, will apply to international courts if favorable conditions are created for us. The bill states that foreign companies can carry out activity only with the permission of the government of Artsakh”.

Asked what kind of a legal process can start if, for instance, a foreign company wants to make an investment in the territories occupied by Azerbaijan, Mr Baghunts said they will follow the processes and will create a database. “Later, in case of favorable conditions, we will present the assessment of that activity at various international courts”, he said.

Asked which territories will be included, the territory of the Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Republic or also the territories which are considered as a security zone, Gagik Baghunts cited Article 175th of the Constitution of Artsakh which states that before the restoration of the territorial integrity of the Republic of Artsakh and the clarification of borders, the public authority is carried out in the territory which de facto is under the jurisdiction of the Republic of Artsakh.  


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