WAR IS NOT THE WAY TO SOLVE NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT, ARMENIAN AND AZERI FIGURES AGREE
NOYAN TAPAN
Ju ly 7
Issues of solving the Nagorno Karabakh problem peacefully and Armenian
and Azeri peoples’ peaceful co-existence were discussed in the
private conversation of Ashot Grigorian, the Chairman of the Forum
of Armenian Associations of Europe (FAAE) and Noyan Tapan agency’s
European Center Director, with representatives of Azerbaijan, Umud
Mirzoyev, the Director of the International Information Institute,
and Azer Hasret, a representative of Central Asia and South Caucasus
of the Freedom of Expression Network organization. The private
conversation was held within the framework of the General Assembly
of the 57 World Congress of the International Press Institute (IPI)
that finished lately in the capital of Serbia, Belgrade.
During the conversation, A. Grigorian said that the bellicose
statements voiced in Azerbaijan not only fail to contribute to
settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, but with them Azerbaijan
loses the possibilities given to it as a result of the negotiations
in the previous three or four years. According to FAAE Chairman,
Zardusht Alizade, an Azeri political scientist well-known in Europe,
had stated in Vienna formerly that the Azeri authorities showing sense
should sign an agreement on leaving Karabakh to Armenians and taking
the liberated areas around Nagorno Karabakh, as he does not believe the
idea of Armenians’ leaving Karabakh to Azerbaijan considering realistic
return of liberated territories around Karabakh to Azerbaijan.
As his Azeri interlocutors asserted, Armenians pour oil into the
flames with their information: for instance, an interview with an old
man from Artsakh has been published, in which he stated that his son
has died in the Karabakh war and he will hate Azeris by the end of
his life and wishes their death.
According to U. Mirzoyev, such information promotes deepening of
people’s hatred instead of its mitigation. As A. Grigorian evaluated,
mitigation of tension should be spoken about both in Armenia and
in Azerbaijan.
FAAE Chairman added that the ammunition of the Armenian armies is
sufficient for being protected from attacks of not only Azerbaijan,
but also Turkey, the ammunition of which is one of the strongest
ones in Europe. However, the source of Azeri army’s strengthening is
petrodollars, while the source of Armenian army’s strengthening is the
Diaspora, which does its best to protect the homeland, and Azerbaijan’s
hopes that its military force will be sufficient for solving the
Nagorno Karabakh confict by a war in five or ten years are vain.
U. Mirzoyev and A. Hasret expressed readiness to discuss the raised
issues agreeing that they should think of quickly returning to
Azerbaijan the liberated areas around Karabakh, under control of the
Armenian armed forces.
He also affirmed that war resumption is not the way to take.
A. Grigorian affirmed that the war cannot be resumed irrespective
of Azerbaijan’s will: that issue regards superpowers having their
interests in the region, and if some of them induces Armenians and
Azeris to a war, it will proceed from the interests of not Azerbaijan
or Armenia, but of the very state. Azerbaijan will not be permitted
to endager oil flow to Europe, in particular, through that country,
and many statements regarding Nagorno Karabakh problem, made for
local public cause tension among the people by driving them to such
an irritated state that "medicines of long effect" are needed to calm
them down.
A. Grigorian said that for him, it was a surprise that U. Mirzoyev
and A.
Hasret said that Armenians played a very important role in Azerbaijan
and Baku and any Azeri considers Armenians a people of much mental
abilities, the representatives of which ruled Baku oil industry during
the whole 20th century. According to them, the Diasporan Armenians
could also have a great share in Azerbaijan’s oil industry by making
investments of billions of dollars in it and receiving an adequate
profit if Armenians maintained good relations with Azerbaijan in the
past two decades. In response to A.
Grigorian’s question "and who is to blame for such development of
events" his Azeri interlocutors said that, in particular, the Sumgayit
events that laid the foundation for the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
were organized and guided by the former USSR State Security Committee,
and ordinary Azeris did not understand what was going on. U. Mirzoyev
and A. Hasret assured their interlocutor that they know the organizers
of Sumgayit events name by name.
A. Grigorian, U. Mirzoyev, and A. Hasret reached an agreement to
contribute to guaranteeing peace and co-existence in the region with
their public speeches.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
