IT’S A PITY, THAT RUSSIA HAS BEEN PUSHED OUT FROM THE NEGOTIATIONS
Laura Grigoryan

Azat Artsakh Newspaper NKR
December 08, 2009

An interview with deputy director of Caucasian researches’ centre of
the state institute of international relations of Moscow, historian,
professor Vladimir Zakharov -Mr Zakharov, what aim pursues your next
visit to Artsakh? -I’m in NKR on the invitation of the management
of Artsakh State University. I’m also a honorary Doctor of Artsakh
State University. I performed many times there with my lectures
on the themes "Today’s situation in Transcaucasus", "Tendencies
of NATO in Transcaucasus’s countries", as well as "Lermontov and
Transcaucasus". It’s known, that Lermontov spent rather long time in
Caucasus (1837, 1840-41). My brochure has been published recently,
which is called "Lermontov in Karabakh in 1837". In 1837 the author
visited Shushi and returning to St. Petersburg, wrote to his friend –
Svyatoslav Raevsky about his impressions. He wrote, that he had been
in Shushi, Shamakhi, had slept in open-air fields, had woke up from
voices of jackals… We have brought various materials, documents,
which testify, that Lermontov was really in Karabakh. We have for an
object to open a museum in Shushi devoted to Lermontov, but now in
Stepanakert we have organized an exhibition in municipality’s gallery.
– What connects you with Karabakh? – Unfortunately, I’m not connected
rootly with Karabakh. But after my first visit, which was in 2005,
it has become my second land for me.

Really, Nagorno-Karabakh is a place, where your soul is openned
and you are relieved. I think, that all this is conditioned by
Karabakhi people’s honesty and wonderfulness. And just they create
the surroundings which is called a sphere. I’m from Armavir by origin.

An armenian family from Ardvin lived in the neighbourhood. I
still remember the stories of old house owner Agnessa Bagratyan
about the genocide. Her husband’s brother Hakob Ter-Bagratyan was
an archimandrite, he managed to save a great number of armenians
from the massacre, closing them inside the church. She was very
kind and woderwul woman, interesting interlocuter. I’ve learnt to
speak armenian a little from her. I have met many armenians after
leaving Armavir, but some armenian words have stuck in my memory…
– Mr Zakharov, your attitude towards armenian-turkish relations
and generally border’s openning. – It can’t be two opinions, that
negotiations should be carried out in that direction. It’s a pity ,
that Russia has been pushed out from these negotiations. It has done
by the Americans’ hand. And the last – by Turkey’s.There would be
complications, of course, because Turkey and Azerbaijan act in the
same direction. And all, what they speak and do – is a game.

Turkey needs in Armenia. They know, that great load transportations
will be through Turkey’s territory, which will cost much sums. From
the other hand Turkey wants to protect Azerbaijan. Nobody can say,
how long this double game of Turkey will last. Only a thing is clear,
if the border is openned, Turkey will never close it. Also for the
simple reason: Turkey is eager to be admitted to EU. And if it suddenly
closes again the border, nobody will want to have such a partner.

And what about the problem of recognition of the Genocide, various
opinions are sounded about it. Yes, many years passed, and during
these years many facts have been collected, published concerning to
the Genocide… And to say, that the Armenians are guilty, It’s merely
a shame, funny. – In your opinion, will the international community
ever recognize Armenian Genocide? – You know, it’s difficult to say
yes or not. Just there, in Turkey, there are pro and contra. In all
cases, something must be changed. They shoud understand, that the
facts speak not in favour of Turkey.