HIKMET HAJIZADE: "RUSSIA MAY IMPEDE THE PEACEFUL AND JUST RESOLUTION OF THE NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT"
Today.Az
politics/47557.html
Sept 15 2008
Azerbaijan
Day.Az interview with famous political scientist Hikmet Hajizade.
– What do you think is the earlier planned, working visit of
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to Moscow connected with?
– Probably, the visit is connected with the strained situation in the
region, established following the Russian-Georgian conflict. Perhaps,
Moscow will again ask Azerbaijan to support Russia’s policy in
Georgia or demand not to help Georgia. Perhaps, the sides will discuss
numerous energy problems. Unfortunately, we have not so much official
information about the visit. We can only guess about it.
– How did Russian-Azerbaijani relations change following Russia’s
military aggression against Georgia and West’s reaction to it?
– Though Moscow has recently declared that it has no problems with
Azerbaijan and that Karabakh differs from Abkhazia and South Ossetia,
it should be admitted that after Russia’s actions in Georgia, neither
Azerbaijan nor Ukraine or other countries can treat it without
concerns, for the Russian ambassador to Azerbaijan declared in open
that by its actions in Georgia Russia gave a lesson to other countries:
here Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova, which have conflicts in their
territories, are implied.
Perhaps, in the result of increased confrontation between the West
and Russia in our region these forces will not accept Azerbaijan’s
neutrality and each of the sides will try to draw over Azerbaijan
and here we will have to choose, which is always painful.
– President of Turkey Abdullah Gul told Turkish reporters that Armenia
promised to release the occupied lands of Azerbaijan. Can his words
be trusted?
– These words need explanation, as they are too vague. Perhaps,
Gul, who are unaware of the details of talks, misunderstood this
phrase. Armenia has earlier stated its readiness to release the
occupied lands around Nagorno Karabakh only in exchange for the
independent status of Karabakh.
Perhaps, Sargsyan meant that Armenia will release the aforementioned
regions in exchange to the "firm guarantees of security of Karabakh
Armenians". Perhaps, it implies the deployment of peacekeeping forces
on the borders of Nagorno Karabakh. Much is unclear in this case.
– Can Russia impede the peaceful and just resolution of the conflict?
– Certainly it can and it does in the resolution of the Nagorno
Karabakh, Crimean and Transdniestrian conflicts and we have already
seen what it has done in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Russia needs
such conflicts to blackmail and control the independent republics of
the former USSR.
– What will be the future of the whole South Caucasus region in
case Armenians liberate at least the adjacent regions around Nagorno
Karabakh?
– This is a difficult question and it seems that Armenians will hardly
agree to release our lands around Nagorno Karabakh without the complete
settlement of the issue on the status of Nagorno Karabakh. But let’s
imagine that Armenians are liberating the occupied regions around
Nagorno Karabakh, and at the same time Azerbaijan stops Armenia’s
economic blockade, but the status of Karabakh will be defined after
10 years and international peacekeeping forces are deployed on the
borders of the Nagorno Karabakh.
In this case the situation can be the same as in Cyprus and last
long until West and Russia reach consensus regarding principles of
the conflict resolution or until one of them completely expels the
other from the region.