About 30 000 Armenians live in Azerbaijan

news.az
Dec 21 2009
Azerbaijan

Tural Kerimli News.Az interviews Tural Kerimli, a Baku based
independent political scientist.

On December 18 the Center for Strategic Studies under the President of
Azerbaijan held a roundtable discussion on "The Armenian-Azerbaijani
conflict over Nagorno Karabakh: outcomes of 2009 and further
perspectives". During the event you suggested the re-opening of the
Armenian Church in Baku. What motivated you to make such a statement?

In my opinion, there is a great chance to show the tolerance of
the Azerbaijani people to the world. About 30 000 Armenians live in
Azerbaijan today and they do not have any problems.

The re-opening of the church will be a perfect answer to Armenians,
especially those who live in Karabakh, who have been saying for
many years that they can’t live together with Azerbaijanis, claiming
Azerbaijanis are threatening them and reminding us about the fabricated
disorders in Sumgayit.

The fact is that Azerbaijan is, perhaps, the only country in the
world where ethnic minority – Armenians – committed massacres against
ethnic majority – Azerbaijanis. That’s why I think Armenians who live
in Azerbaijan should have an opportunity to pray in their Church
as it will show the entire world who is right in the Azerbaijani –
Armenian conflict.

If Armenians who will visit the Church state that there is no threat
for Armenians in Azerbaijan, the myth about impossibility of peaceful
coexistence of Armenians and Azerbaijanis will be broken.