ILHAM ALIYEV, “NAUGHTY SON” OF THE “NATIONAL LEADER”?
Karine Ter-Sahakian

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 16, 2012

Heydar Aliyev would never tolerate such unbridled anti-Armenian
sentiment which is now spread in Azerbaijan.

The 18 years of fragile ceasefire at the contact line between Nagorno
Karabakh and Azerbaijan never yielded the expected results: violations
of the ceasefire continue, Azerbaijan refuses to call off its snipers
and keeps on subversive activities. In addition, it keeps dubbing as
“provocation” everything happening in Stepanakert, from military
parade to elections.

PanARMENIAN.Net – Ten years ago, then leader of Azerbaijan, terminally
ill Heydar Aliyev said at his meeting with Robert Kocharian, then
president of Armenia: “The negotiation potential for direct meetings
between the presidents is not exhausted yet. We must resolutely –
I’m speaking on behalf of Azerbaijan – maintain the ceasefire regime,
reinforce it, proceed with the talks, and promote activities of the
OSCE Minsk Group. We must use all opportunities to assist the peace
resolution of this issue and continue our personal meetings. I believe
our meeting was very useful and interesting, and it once again comes
to prove that the format of presidential meetings with the mediators
can be pursued, and we can reach peaceful settlement of the conflict.”

These words belong to a person who is now honored as a “national
leader” in Azerbaijan and whose opinion must be taken into account,
according to logic.

At least the son, the current president of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev
should have remembered his father’s statement. Of course, it is clear
now that the senior Aliyev was not happy to advocate for peace back
then; he had to leave the country to his son at least in its current
state. To do this, he could have been cunning in telling what he was
expected to tell, instead of revealing the actual state of things. In
fact, he feared for his son.

Heydar Aliyev would never tolerate such unbridled anti-Armenian
sentiment which is now spread in Azerbaijan. He might have hated
Armenians no less than his son; still, he never afforded hate speech
naming them “number 1 enemy in the world”. The senior Aliyev was
shrewd in his actions, as a KGD boss should be. The current clumsy
moves of Azerbaijani rough propaganda stand no comparison with Heydar
Aliyev’s actions as first secretary of Azerbaijan’s Communist Party
Central Committee. It was the “national leader” who sparked mass
exodus of Armenians from Azerbaijan. Armenians had no opportunity
to get proper education and work, while those few who did succeed,
paid too much for this.

However, it should be noted that much has changed over the past
10 years, including the military- political situation in Southern
Caucasus. The only thing that still remains invariable is visits of
the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs and their statements, which might as
well not be voiced. Similarly, their recent statement dos not differ
from the previous ones at all.

“The Co-Chairs continued their discussions with the sides on how to
implement the commitments made by Presidents Sargsyan and Aliyev in
their January 23 joint statement in Sochi, including to “accelerate”
reaching agreement on the Basic Principles as a framework for a
comprehensive peace settlement, to work on the mechanism to investigate
ceasefire violations, and to develop humanitarian contacts. The
Co-Chairs expressed their concern over recent incidents along the
frontlines, and urged the sides to exercise restraint and refrain
from retaliation. The Co-Chairs welcomed the sides’ reaffirmation of
their commitment to seek a peaceful settlement.

The Co-Chairs also discussed with the sides the development of
confidence-building measures in the military and people-to-people
spheres to enhance trust and strengthen implementation of the 1994
ceasefire. In addition, the Co-Chairs discussed the importance of
assessing and preserving at-risk sites of Armenian and Azeri cultural
and historical value, in order to protect the shared heritage of
the region’s peoples while negotiations continue toward a final and
lasting peace.

The Co-Chairs plan to continue discussions with the Foreign Ministers
of the two countries in the near future,” the May 14 statement of
the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs says.

It covered everything and did not say anything, at the same time. The
most “touching” part is the urge for restraint and preservation of
cultural heritage; a peak of cynicism, indeed.

Most likely, another meeting between Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev
will take place by summer; this means we will again face shooting
attacks on Armenian settlements; this is reality.

From: Baghdasarian