OFFICIAL BAKU COMMENTS ON ARMENIAN PRESIDENT’S SPEECH

news.az
Feb 12 2010
Azerbaijan

MFA of Azerbaijan Azerbaijan’s position is open and clear.

Some comments of attaché of the news service for Azerbaijan’s Foreign
Ministry Goshgar Zeynalov about the speech of Armenian President
Serzh Sargsyan at the Institute of International Relations Chatem Haus.

"It is surprising that it took just 20 years for the current Armenian
president to prepare for the speech at the event which is only of
the institutional nature. How much time would it take the Armenian
president to learn to feel responsibility for the content of his
speech, the complete distortion of historical facts and today’s
realities connected with the region?

It is good that Serzh Sargsyan explained where he met with the
British lord! I think it was uncomfortable for Sir Robertson to be
near a person who is a responsible for tens of thousands of victims of
the cruel conflict initiated by Armenia against Azerbaijan, for the
tragedy of more than a million of Azerbaijani refugees and internally
displaced persons who were forced to flee their homes in the result of
ethnic cleansing in the occupied Azerbaijani lands, for the atrocities
committed in the Azerbaijani city of Khojaly, for tens and hundreds
of destroyed historical, religious and cultural monuments, for desert
ghosts of the once flourishing Azerbaijani cities and villages of
Nagorno Karabakh and seven surrounding regions and most others that
are going beyond the limits of generally acceptable terms such as
the "value of life and creation", "humanity", "nonuse of force",
so actively used by the Armenian president in his speech.

In his speech Serzh Sargsyan applies a new political term
"internationally recognized political map differs from the reality"
which seems enough to justify the occupation of the lands of a
sovereign state and the forced transformation of the internationally
recognized borders. Then what place does the main politician of Armenia
attach to the norms and principles of international law? Is the
forced changes in the borders of the neighbor state where Armenian
population is residing compactly a historical and international
recognized mission of the Armenian political leaders? I would like
to remind that Armenia is also neighboring Georgia with Javakheti
Armenians, Turkey with Hemshires, Iran where the Armenian minority
is living historically. As US film director William Castle said "it
is difficult to be a good neighbor in a bad neighborhood", but what
can we do in the case when this neighbor has not been chosen by anyone?

Serzh Sargsyan asks a question why "Azerbaijan was able to walk
out the USSR while Nagorno Karabakh was not? It seems that there
are no legal frames for the Armenian leadership that could define
the procedure of the walkout of the republics from the USSR. The
attempt of the representatives of the Karabakh’s Armenian community
to separate from Azerbaijani SSR unilaterally through the decision
of 12 July 1988 adopted without participation of Azerbaijani deputies
was contradictory both to the Constitution of the Azerbaijani SSR and
article 78 of the SSR Constitution according to which the territory
of the union republic cannot be changed without its agreement. The
regulation was confirmed in a number of decisions of the USSR Supreme
Council and its presidium including of 10 January and 3 March 1990.

Sargsyan says "Azerbaijan has exhausted the credit of trust regarding
the survival of the minorities". Probably, there has been a mistake in
the text of the speech of the president of almost a monoethnic state.

Unlike Armenia, which became monoethnic after driving Azerbaijanis
and Muslim Kurds residing there in early 90s, the issue of ensuring
rights of national and religious minorities has never been urgent
in Azerbaijan.

In addition, about 30,000 citizens of Armenian nationality live in
Azerbaijan, beyond the lands occupied by Armenia and they have equal
rights with other citizens and use all opportunities presented by
the state. Can the Armenian side speak about hundreds and thousands
of Azerbaijanis living in Armenia? Probably, it can but it would
not want, because these will be Azerbaijanis whom the Armenian
servicemen captured and are still holding in captivity. According
to the Azerbaijan State Commission on hostages, missing people and
refugees, 4,133 people are considered missing in the result of Armenian
aggression and their destiny is still unclear. This occurs in the
21st century in a country whose leader refers to the ideas of humanism.

The Armenian president says that "the arm racing continues in the
South Caucasus" and "it is extremely dangerous for all South Caucasus
nations". It seems that when speaking about the South Caucasus he
means all the three countries of the region. The fact that Armenia
is trying to put its own problems on Azerbaijan’s shoulders has been
evident since the countries of the regions gained independence. Is
it now Georgia’s turn for Armenia’s attacks?

Serzh Sargsyan also causes admiration for his genius and sagacity
in the relations with Turkey "the way to cooperation without
preconditions, the way to bilateral relations that is not conditioned
by the problems of the third parties". "Without preconditioning… the
relations by Turkey’s recognition of the Armenian genocide" the
Armenian president is moving further pretending to be making curtsey
while doing a favor to Turkey. Hinting that the normalization of
relations between Turkey and Armenia "may give a positive impetus
to the Karabakh conflict settlement", the Armenian president is
obviously cunning.

The plans of the Armenian leadership to invite the Azerbaijani
president for the "possible" ceremony of opening the Armenian-Turkish
border also causes tender emotions and admiration. It seems that
the Armenian presidential office is working hard at preparation of
a long list of guests for such a remarkable event. It is good that
Serzh Sargsyan has used the word "possible" while speaking about this
ceremony in order not make a fool of himself in the future. We can
wish the Armenian president to remain the same optimist in the future!

Today, by demonstrating adherence to the supremacy of principles
and norms of international law in the resolution of the Karabakh
conflict Azerbaijan continues the negotiation process by demonstrating
constructivism and readiness to search the way out of the established
situation. Azerbaijan’s position is open and clear. The frames of
possible compromises have been defined and they allow observing the
basic principle of the present-day international law-the inviolability
of borders of the sovereign states with the execution of the rights
of people for self-determination within the internationally recognized
state borders.

This will help achieve a mutually profitable peace in the region and
settle the protracted conflict that has caused the tragedy of more
than a million of people. However, Azerbaijan cannot let the conflict
last for the next 15-20 years. It is clear that no one in the world,
except for Armenia, is satisfied with the status quo. The issue must
be settled within the definite time framework beyond which there is
a dangerous line threatening with the unpredictable development of
events for which Armenia will be responsible as a nonconstructive
party of the negotiations.

In conclusion, I would like to quote famous British writer Jerome
Jerome "He is willingly taking the heaviest burden and shifting
it to others’ shoulders" referring this to the speech of Armenian
President Serzh Sargsyan at the Chatem House Institute of International
Relations. Is it not time to stop doing so, Mr.Sargsyan?