ArmInfo. The people of Artsakh are ready to establish good neighborly relations with Azerbaijan, but they will never agree to be under Azerbaijani jurisdiction as slaves, and even more so to turn into a concentration camp. Artsakh Foreign Minister David Babayan stated this in an interview with ArmInfo in response to today's statement by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev that he considers the inhabitants of Nagorno-Karabakh to be citizens of Azerbaijan.
Babayan drew attention to the fact that the population of the NKR has always opposed being under Azerbaijani jurisdiction. Recalling that Nagorno-Karabakh was forcibly annexed to the Azerbaijan SSR in the Soviet years, the communist party leadership did not take into account the opinion of the population, the Artsakh Foreign Minister stressed that even then Stepanakert retained sovereignty on many issues.
The head of the Karabakh Foreign Ministry noted that it was the unwillingness to live under the jurisdiction of Azerbaijan that from year to year raised a wave of discontent, which ultimately resulted in the 1988 Karabakh liberation movement.
Meanwhile, when asked how he views Aliyev's statement today that allegedly "positive impulses are coming from the Karabakh Armenians and initial contacts have already begun," Babayan noted that speaking about the Karabakh-Azerbaijani settlement, a number of important aspects should be clearly fixed.
"The key one is that we do not consider this conflict as a conflict between the Armenian and Azerbaijani peoples. It is clear that the population of Artsakh does not have hatred for the Azerbaijani people. The problem here is the policy of the Azerbaijani state, which openly conducts anti-Armenian propaganda with elements of fascism, sows hatred towards everything Armenian. We are well aware that we will not be at war with Azerbaijan forever, and we are ready to establish good-neighborly relations if the Azerbaijani authorities give up their policy," Babayan said.
According to him, one thing is now clear that the Azerbaijani authorities are pursuing a genocidal policy aimed at the dearmenization of our homeland – Artsakh.
"The shortest and best way to resolve the Karabakh-Azerbaijani conflict on the part of Azerbaijan is to establish good-neighborly relations, the opportunity to be good neighbors. However, hatred agains Armenians in Azerbaijan is cultivated at the highest level, the Armenian spiritual and cultural heritage is being destroyed," Babayan said, noting that such a recent manifestation was the desecration of an Armenian church in occupied Hadrut a few days ago.
It should be noted that today Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that Azerbaijan considers the Armenians living in Karabakh to be its citizens. At the same time, he added that positive impulses are being received from the Karabakh Armenians and primary contacts have already begun. As Aliyev said, "within the framework of the Azerbaijani state, Karabakh Armenians may develop economically, feel more secure and comfortable." However, i in his opinion n the first place, it is necessary to give up "separatist sentiments and accept the realities." Aliyev also pointed out that in the near future hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis will return to Kalbajar, Lachin, Shushi, Aghdam and the Armenians should live with them "in an atmosphere of neighborhood."