ARIF YUNUSOV: "WE SHOULD HAVE RESTORED IF NOT A DIALOGUE BUT AT LEAST CONTACTS WITH KARABAKH ARMENIANS LONG BEFORE"

Today
March 28 2008
Azerbaijan

We should have restored if not a dialogue but at least contacts with
Karabakh Armenians long before.

The due announcement was made by famous conflict scientist Arif
Yunusov.

"Nagorno Karabakh is our territory, which means that Armenians residing
there are our citizens. Though they have temporarily rejected our
citizenship and followed the way of separatism, nothing is permanent
in this life. Time may change any position in favor of these or those
circumstances. It is now necessary to work in this direction", he said.

He noted that we have turned Nagorno Karabakh into a virtual zone,
of which we do not know too much.

"We avoid contacts and communication with Armenians residing
there and even do not publish any information. It is odd: isn’t it
interesting how people live there? Which problems do they have? It
is our territory!".

Yunusov said we should accept that Karabakh Armenians will not rush
to us after Armenian armed forces leave the occupied lands.

"We should think of restoring contacts with Karabakh Armenians. A new
generation of Armenians, who have never seen Azerbaijanis, only read
or heard not too positive things about them, has appeared there. Will
they agree to annex to Azerbaijan on a goodwill bases? I doubt it.

What would we do? Kill them? Would it not be better to start an
intellectual work? Perhaps we will attain more through conviction
and dialogue?

Asked which work should be carried out in this direction, he said
it is necessary to restore contacts and a dialogue on the level of
journalists and nongovernmental organizations.

"Much should also be done on the state level. It is better to base
the propaganda on TV and press. Our propaganda is primitive so far
and causes more damage to us. It is time to realize that we live in
the 21st century, the era of Internet and new way of thinking. If we
have taken a course for European integration and democratic reforms,
we should behave accordingly", he concluded.