APA, Azerbaijan
Feb 6 2010

Armenia still has a chance to find a way out with honour and return
Nagorno Garabagh and the occupied lands of Azerbaijan – PHOTO

[ 06 Feb 2010 07:28 ]
Moscow. Roman Agaev ` APA. APA presents an exclusive interview of the
Russian political figure, co-authors of the book «to Russian about
Azerbaijan and Azerbaijanis», political scientist Alexander
Sevastyanov

– What is the main idea of the book? What was the motivation for
writing this book?

– For many years I have been observing with anxious how many external
forces endeavor to involve Russia in the global conflict of
civilizations, moreover to involve not in that party, which I consider
to be fair. Therefore, it seemed to me necessary for a long time to
write the book, which would promote our politicians to have more
objective view to the Muslim East.

You know Russian people’s problems, regretfully, our power ignore them
as a result they don’t find the response behind the Kremlin walls.
Suddenly I was surprised to see that amid many representatives of
different nationalities that operated in the Duma at that time,
including the president of the Federal national-cultural autonomy of
Azerbaijanis of Russia Sojun Sadykov, only Azerbaijanis treated with
understanding in a companionable way our internal Russian problems.
Later, when I paid visit to Azerbaijan, I absolutely changed my view
to Azerbaijanis because I closely got acquainted with Azerbaijanis in
their natural conditions, I was, as they say, in the prayer house, the
scientific institutions, the countryside, and traveled through all
Baku ¦

Frequently I came back to the hotel after two o’clock in the night,
walked alone without any support. I did not see any scowl, I did not
hear any rude or coarse word and I did not see any menacing gesture.
For me the Azerbaijan people have appeared absolutely different ` such
as we did not know Azerbaijanis during the Soviet ruling. When we
lived within the borders of one state, we somehow did not look very
narrowly to each other. I understood that it’s time to look narrowly
and see in Azerbaijanis very potential and important ally in the East
and Islam world.

It was very the starting point. Further After that we agreed with
outstanding historian Alexander Borisovich Gorjanin, who is the
serious scientist and known journalist. Further, everything started to
grow as a snow clod: the information and judgment passed and as a
result we got the book that we wanted.

– Nevertheless, is that possible to assert that at the present time,
the biased information about Azerbaijan, especially regarding the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, prevails in Russia?

– Alas, for all hundred percents. I should tell you that unfortunately
it have developed historically. After all Azerbaijanis were always the
true allies of Russia. They never changed neither imperial Russia, nor
the Soviet Russia, but they never had the defenders neither in the
imperial Kremlin, nor in the Soviet Kremlin. They didn’t have their
own lobby. With regard to Armenian lobby, they have always been very
strong, let alone Jewish lobby, which in many respects defined the
ways of our country’s development. Azerbaijanis did not have the real
defenders in the imperious circles. I think, it is the greatest
injustice, which should be corrected.

Literally one of these days, we witnessed when the secretary general
of The Collective Security Treaty (CST) Nikolay Bordyuzha has made a
scandalous political and ethical mistake and said `in case of the
military conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan we’ll have to fight
on Armenian side’. It’s unbearable. If I was the president of Russia
then it would be Bordyuzha’s last words on that post. But we see that
it is indicative. We see, how unfortunately the misunderstanding of
the political situation wholly control the situation, particularly
concerning the Nagorno Karabagh.

– In your book you have given a place both to the history of the
conflict occurrence and the perspectives of the problem solution.
What is your basic message as the author of the book?
What did you want to tell?

– I would like to tell the following. Armenia still has a chance to
find a way out with honour and return Nagorno Garabagh and the
occupied lands to Azerbaijan the inevitability of such act will only
accrue every year. It’ll be better for Armenia if it understands
sooner. But if the situation develops up to a confrontation then I’d
be on the side of Azerbaijan if I was at the power in Russia.