Azerbaijan ex-FM calls for starting war against Armenia

News.am, Armenia
May 6 2020

14:08, 06.05.2020
                  

Former Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Tofig Zulfugarov gave an interview, the main idea of which is a call for starting a war against Armenia.

"[Armenia FM Zohrab] Mnatsakanyan's last statement means one simple thing: The [OSCE] Minsk [Group] process, its logic has been ‘killed,"’ Zulfugarov said. "Armenia declares its position [on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict], and if we [Azerbaijan] continue the talks, we will actually adopt that 'agenda.'

But the issue is that the basis for the UN Security Council resolution needs to be clarified here as well. This structure is the only organization, the most important one, that makes an imperative decision for mandatory implementation. All other international organizations are under the auspices of the UN, roughly speaking. (…). One such regional organization is the OSCE. However, unlike the UN, the OSCE cannot force peace on the aggressor. (…). they cannot force Yerevan to liberate the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Based on the above, the [OSCE Minsk Group] Co-Chairs raised this issue, and now one of the parties—that is, Armenia—has stated its position in this way. And the co-chairs will seek a ‘middle ground.’ And if the Armenian side insists on this position, everyone will simply say (and the mediators have the right to do so) that, allegedly, ‘The situation is like that, and let's discuss what we can discuss.’ If Azerbaijan agrees to this agenda, it will mean that we are ready to discuss any issue."

According to the former foreign minister of Azerbaijan, the Karabakh peace talks have run out.

"From the point of view of the new situation, it is necessary to mention the Nakhichevan factor, from the border of which Yerevan is about 40 km away; it's within reach of the Grad-type volley fire systems," Zulfugarov said. "I see that even the Armenian side is preparing for war. And they want to use the prospects for that war differently. During that war, their political elite either wants to do something to harm us, and if that doesn't work and they lose the war, they will blame their ally, Russia, for passing to the side of the West. Therefore, in this case, the [Armenia PM Nikol] Pashinyan elite are fulfilling their minimum plan. It is very actual for everyone to spread the feeling in our society that war is inevitable. And all the components of the society—propaganda, economy, health care—must be ready for it, as there will be a war, not only in Karabakh; it will spread onto the whole territory of the two countries: Armenia and Azerbaijan."