AZERI, ARMENIAN RUSSIA ENVOYS VISIT GARABAGH
AzerNews Weekly
July 8 2009
Azerbaijan
The Azerbaijani and Armenian ambassadors to Russia, Polad Bulbuloghlu
and Armen Smbatian, jointly visited, along with the head of Russia`s
Federal Agency on Culture and Cinematography, Mikhail Shvydkoy, Upper
(Nagorno) Garabagh, an Azerbaijani region under Armenian occupation.
The diplomats crossed to the Armenia-occupied territories through
Shikharkh village in Azerbaijan`s northwestern Terter district,
Armenian media reported.
The Azerbaijani delegation accompanying Bulbuloghlu on his visit
included two parliament members Asim Mollazada and Rovshan Rzayev,
as well as composer Siyavush Karimi.
During their visit to Khankandi, the center of the breakaway
republic, the ambassadors met with Bako Saakian, the leader of the
self-proclaimed Upper Garabagh republic. Armenia`s Tert.am news
website quoted the separatist leader as saying he welcomed the visit
and describing it as "public diplomacy."
The Azerbaijani ambassador made clear after the meeting that the
visit to Garabagh was not meant to be a substitute for talks between
Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sarkisian. Rather, it would speed
a rapprochement between the two nations that have lived side by side
for many years.
Mollazada, an opposition-leaning lawmaker, said "any bad peace is
better than war." He emphasized that his visit to Khankandi proved
that not only the Azerbaijani ruling party, but also the country`s
opposition, is interested in reaching peace.
On the same day, the Azerbaijani representatives left Upper
Garabagh for Yerevan where they met with Armenian President Serzh
Sarkisian. According to Tert.am, Bulbuloghlu told a news briefing
after the discussions that the talks had been constructive.
"Our meeting with Sarkisian was quite constructive. It is really good
that he approached our proposal and initiative with a great deal of
attention, comprehensively and commendably," Bulbuloghlu said.
Mikhail Shvidkoy, who also took part in the meeting, confirmed
Bulbuloghlu`s statement made in Garabagh on Friday. "If Armenians
and Azeris are able to coexist, work and do business together while
in a foreign land, why shouldn`t this happen in Garabagh?"
The Armenian ambassador, Armen Smbatian, said the mission had only
cultural and peacemaking goals and had no bearing on political or
military talks.
"No one has cancelled the neighborhood institute yet," he said. "We may
or may not accept each other, but we have to forge ties anyway. And men
of culture from both communities and other influential representatives
could play a great role in creating a reliable environment."
On the same day, the group of the two countries` intellectuals arrived
from Yerevan in Baku where they met with President Ilham Aliyev. The
Armenian representatives included editor of the Arovot newspaper;
director of the Mediamax news agency; a reporter of the Novoye Vremya
(New Time) newspaper; lawmakers; a football player; the directors of a
museum and a public organization; a medical worker from Upper Garabagh.
During the meeting, President Aliyev reaffirmed Baku`s intransigent
stance, saying the conflict with Armenia must be settled strictly
within the territorial integrity and inviolability of Azerbaijan`s
borders, while granting Upper Garabagh the status of high autonomy.
A group of Azerbaijani and Armenian intellectuals visited Khankandi
and the two countries` capitals for the first time in June 2007.
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov considers
intelligentsia`s visit to Garabagh as necessary.
"Upper Garabagh is Azerbaijani land. But representatives of the
Armenian community living there are Azerbaijani citizens. We must prove
during meetings that, in case of the return of lands to Azerbaijan,
they will live better…I think that these initiatives are necessary
and must continue," Mammadyarov told the press in Azerbaijan`s
northwestern city of Ganja on Monday.
The self-proclaimed republic operating in Upper Garabagh has welcomed
the visit to the Armenia-occupied region.
The separatist regime`s "foreign ministry" said in a statement that
the visit meets its interests.
"This visit is particularly commendable for the reason that Azerbaijani
representatives are working with this state again," it maintained. "At
the same time, such visits create good conditions for the recognition
of the Upper Garabagh Republic on the international scale."
Garabagh Armenians claimed further that the route of the visit and
the make-up of the Azerbaijani delegation had been altered upon
their demand.
"The route of the visit and who will be visiting had been agreed
beforehand. Upon the demand of the Garabagh side, parliament member
Havva Mammadova and Chingiz Ismayilov, known for their anti-Armenian
statements, were excluded from the delegation," the statement alleged.
Also, the self-proclaimed entity interpreted the Azerbaijani
delegation`s visit as Baku`s attempt to negotiate directly with itself,
without mediators.
MP Asim Mollazada is unaware that the make-up of the delegation
had been changed. The lawmaker said further that he had heard
disagreement with the visit route from Armenians, who protested at
the delegation`s traveling to Khankandi from Azerbaijan. However,
the issue was later resolved, and the representatives entered there
from the Terter district.
In the meantime, Azerbaijan`s hard-line Garabagh Liberation
Organization (GLO) condemned the visit to the occupied land.
"Another visit by Azerbaijani intellectuals to the occupied territories
serves to legitimize the self-styled regime in these territories and
grant Upper Garabagh to Armenia forever," it claimed in a statement.
The GLO believes that the visit was made at Moscow`s behest.
"Russia is trying to show, by organizing this visit, that settlement
of the conflict is strictly under its control… Russia is using
Azerbaijani diplomats and intellectuals as puppets on this issue. It
is disappointing that they are creating conditions for being
used. Azerbaijani authorities are confining themselves to observing
the process from the outside, as idle observers," the group alleged.
The GLO warned it would launch protests to counter what it called
an anti-national policy, while calling on the political and public
forces in the country to join efforts in this regard.
Upper Garabagh has been occupied by Armenia since a 1994 cease-fire
ended separatist hostilities that killed an estimated 30,000 people
and ousted about one million Azerbaijanis from their homes. Armenia
continues to occupy Upper Garabagh and seven other Azerbaijani
districts in defiance of international law. Years of peace talks have
resulted in few tangible results.
Another meeting Azerbaijani and Armenian intellectuals are expected
to hold their next meeting in Moscow on July 20. The joint delegation
is expected to be broader this time, Azerbaijani political analyst
Rasim Musabayov, who will take part in the upcoming meeting, has told
Radio Liberty.
Musabayov reminded that Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sarkisian
are due to hold a meeting July 17-18 to discuss settlement to the
Garabagh conflict. "In support of the peace process, intellectuals
representing both sides will meet afterwards."
Elkhan Polukhov, the spokesman for the Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry, has
confirmed Baku`s intent to hold another meeting of the two countries`
intellectuals.