GEORGY VANYAN: "OFFICIAL YEREVAN DID NOT ENTER THE OPEN DOOR AND APPRECIATE AZERBAIJAN’S STEP ONCE AGAIN"

Today.Az
itics/49504.html
Dec 11 2008
Azerbaijan

Day.Az interview with Georgy Vanyan, chairman of the Caucasus Center
of Peacekeeping Initiatives.

– What can you say about Armenia’s non-participation in the
international conference of the Culture Ministers of the CE states on
"Intercultural dialogue as a basis of sustainable development and peace
in Europe and neighbor regions", despite the invitation of Azerbaijan?

– It is a pity that Armenia was not represented in this conference in
Baku. Unfortunately, official Yerevan did not enter the open door and
did not appreciate this step of Azerbaijan once again. The opening and
immediately closing doors are the symbol of the Armenian-Azerbaijani
dialogue. I think, the decision not to visit Baku is not a personal
intention of the Armenian Minister of Culture. This proves the absence
of the political will of the senior leadership of the country. I regret
that the political leadership of Armenia still yields to the recently
growing speculative hysteria about the "cessassion of territories"
or "trading around Karabakh".

– What do you think about the statement of ISESCO director Abdulaziz
bin Osman al-Tuveyrji that ISESCO supports the idea of sending
a mission to Nagorno Karabakh for the purpose of monitoring of
historical monuments?

– Armenian party must not only allow but create all conditions to
hold a monitoring even if the results of this mission will be the
documenting of facts, disgraceful for us.

But here let me express my own point of view regarding the monitoring
of historical monuments, issue of compensations to refugees and
IDP and overall humanitarian problems, in the context of the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict.

Unfortunately, through many years the attention of our communities
and the world community has been concentrating on the problems, after
the settlement of which we must finish the conflict resolution. We
are trying to do it from the end.

Do our countries and our societies have the healthy political climate
and freedom of speech, free press and civil institutions, which may
analyze the cause-effect ties of the facts of barbarism and inhumanity,
subjugating them to their idea of reconciliation and prevention of
such barbarism? Or perhaps, such studies, motivated by general values,
will further promote the deepening of confrontation? Until there
is no political solution, no mutually profitable plan of solution,
the results of monitoring, studies, investigations and conclusions
become just a part of war between our peoples and countries.

I have spoken many times about the social order for peace, that it
is necessary to join efforts to gain a status of a civil party of
the conflict and not remain in a state of war, that we must turn
the conflict resolution into a priority, see our national interest
in resolution. Perhaps, only in this issue, we, both Armenia and
Azerbaijan, will be able to speak the same language and equally with
the world community, get rid of the complex of the "made used of"
and "offended". How is it possible? Such a review of approaches is
possible only if there is a will of the leadership of our countries,
the will, which is probably seeking for support within the communities,
and here the role of each of us, claiming for being peacekeepers,
is significant here.

– Do you consider that intensification of the visits of the Armenian
delegations to Azerbaijan and Azerbaijani to Armenia will help
establish trustful resolutions between the representatives of our
peoples and will promote the resolution of the Karabakh conflict?

– As I have already said we are now at war and not settling the
conflict. Therefore, we live in the kingdom of stereotypes, myths
and legends, which revive the image of an enemy and strengthen our
own bellicose image in our conscience. What do we have for today
Periodical visits of several Azerbaijanis, who attend international
projects in Yerevan, more seldom in other cities of Armenia and
almost never in Nagorno Karabakh. At the same time, while visiting
Armenia, Azerbaijanis are obliged to adhere to the previously
announced programs and are completely deprived of the right for free
movement and communication. Such visits are either not covered inm
the press, or become a cause for the next campaign of "tolerance"
in Armenia and as a result, set the campaign "down with betrayers"
in Azerbaijan. Though, there are some exceptions, when in some "lucky"
cases, Azerbaijanis manage to become "national heroes".

In any case, the law of war turns out to be stronger and the small
seeds of peacekeeping planted owing to the civil courage and real
patriotism of our Azerbaijani counterparts, are growing in the souls of
separate people, without changing the overall background. Azerbaijan
has been closed for Armenians for already many years. If Armenian
delegations start visiting Baku this is a great breakthrough and a
ground to get rid of the stereotypes, though there is no guarantee
that the same mechanism of information war will not work here.

The issue is why we visit each others? I want to visit Baku, want
to visit the whole Azerbaijan, want to see and feel your country
and get rid of the humiliation of a person, who is unable to break
the wall in front of him. I also want an Azerbaijani, who arrives
in Armenia, to be free of the humiliating weight of distrust and
senseless enmity. We need to visit each others freely in order to
get rid of mutual humiliation and regain the dignity, which we lost
at war and without which we are unable to settle the conflict.

– Which obstacles hinder Armenia and Azerbaijan to build the dialogue
and take steps towards each other?

– I want to visit my home, the home of my grandfather in Karachinar
village, where, if I am not mistaken, a family from Khojaly, the
village, which we, Armenians, have ruined, live. They revive the house
of my grandfather. I want to see this house, the garden, to sit there
and have a talk. I want to look into their eyes and answer all their
questions. There are thousands of people like me. I want to believe
that the place of my birth – Azerbaijan- is not closed forever for
me. There is no Fizuli and no my paternal house. I want to go there
and sit on the ruins… There are no obstacles. But tomorrow, in the
future, when we are not alive, there will be obstacles.

– Beyond Azerbaijan and Armenia, the representatives of our peoples
are not only friends, but also create families. Doesn’t it prove that
the enmity between Azerbaijanis and Armenians is created artificially
by Russia, which does it to meet its imperialistic and geopolitical
interests?

– I have already spoke much about Russia. It was spoken of not only by
me. It is senseless of question the very existence of imperialistic
and geopolitical interests, but it is also senseless to subdue to
them. The way out of this slavery lies in our direct dialogue.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress