Armenia’s occupational policy is driving this country into a corner more on the international political arena.

Earlier last month at the session of the “Valdai” International Discussion Club, later, at the meeting of the CIS heads in Ashgabat, several days later at the VII Summit of the Turkic Council in Baku and eventually, at the XVIII Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement, the diplomatic strikes of the Azerbaijani President had an impact of the destructive artillery on Armenia’s political government.

The speculative discussions of some Armenian media outlets around the statements made by the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry during his visit to Yerevan were like taking a temporary “painkiller”. However, as a matter of fact, Russia’s stance on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict does not contradict the UN resolutions. The settlement of the conflict within Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity is unambiguously reflected in those resolutions. It is crystal clear that Lavrov’s visit to Yerevan is actually connected with the intentions of Armenia’s political government to run away from the center, as well as the Kremlin’s concerns about this country. It does not matter how the political government of Armenia attempts to present it…

Let us go back to Baku. The II Summit of the World Religious Leaders held in Baku in recent days was also undesirable for Armenia.

Firstly, because Azerbaijan once again becomes the center of attention as the capital of global dialogue, peace, multiculturalism and delivers its realities to the world community.  

Secondly, the statements made at the Summit, as well as its Final Declaration, were Armenia’s next diplomatic failure, another strike to this country’s already poor reputation and the political career of inexperienced Pashinyan and his team.

During his speech at the Summit, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev once again successfully used this high tribune and drew the attention of the international community to the conflict, the negotiation process, the continuation of Armenia’s occupational policy and its disruptive position in the talks.

The head of state noted that we should not be satisfied just with highlighting the positive moments while talking about interreligious dialogue. At the same time, we should condemn the attempts to connect conflicts with the religious factor. “One of such examples is the long-lasting Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. I have to say that Nagorno-Karabakh is the original Azerbaijani land, the historical Azerbaijani land. For centuries, the Azerbaijani people lived and created in these lands, and in ancient maps,  at the same time, in the maps of Tsarist Russia issued in the early XX century, all the toponyms of Nagorno-Karabakh are of Azerbaijani origin. The Karabakh Khanate was the Azerbaijani Khanate,” said the President noting that the Armenians were settled in Nagorno-Karabakh in the early XIX century and in the XX century, the national compound there was subjected to deformation.

 “I also have to say that when it comes to the maps defined between republics after the Bolshevik Revolution, at that time, the Bolshevik government made the decision to leave Nagorno-Karabakh within Azerbaijan. This is a very important moment, as the Armenian historians, who are masters in distorting history, claim that it was decided to give Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan. However, it is not like that, and the historical documents show that the decision was made to leave Nagorno-Karabakh within Azerbaijan. It means that at the same time, it reflects historical and political issues,” said the President highlighting that on the eve of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the nationalist forces in Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia launched aggression against Azerbaijan, and as a result of the military aggression, about 20 percent of our territories, including Nagorno-Karabakh and 7 adjacent regions, have been occupied.

“The genocide has been committed against the Azerbaijani people in these territories; all of our historical monuments, graves, as well as mosques have been destroyed by the Armenians. The UN Security Council has adopted 4 resolutions in connection with the conflict, and there are articles about the withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from our lands. Armenia ignores these resolutions. Other international organizations – the Non-Aligned Movement, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the European Parliament, the Council of Europe and other organizations have adopted similar decisions and resolutions. The only way of the resolution of the conflict is the restoration of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.”

President Ilham Aliyev clearly touches upon a number of messages in his speech:

·        Nagorno-Karabakh is the original Azerbaijani land. All the facts of the near and distant past prove it.

·        The issue is not only about Nagorno-Karabakh, but also about the 7 adjacent regions – it reflects Armenia’s occupational essence once again.

·        Not presenting conflicts as religious ones, not destroying historical and religious monuments during conflicts – the reality Azerbaijan faces is actually a global threat.

·        Armenia does not abide by norms of international law.

·        In any case, there is only one solution to the conflict – the restoration of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity!

The sentence "I am confident that this Summit will have a great significance, and the messages made in Baku will find their address" the head of state made up at the end of his speech may be considered as the reply to the outcomes the Armenian side has drawn from the speech of the Russian Foreign Minister during his visit to Yerevan.

The Summit’s Final Declaration also contains significant details connected with the conflict. For instance, deep concern was expressed in the document in connection with the destruction of the world’s cultural and spiritual heritage, including cultural and religious monuments in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan as a result of armed conflicts.

Concern is clearly expressed in regard to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in the Declaration. The document urges to make efforts for preventing provocations and violence in all religious temples, as well as the sacred place of all monotheistic religions Jerusalem, to respect the UN Charter and the principles and norms of international law, especially the sovereign equality of states, territorial integrity, inviolability of borders, to contribute to the peaceful settlement of the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, as well as the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict based on the above-mentioned principles, acceptance of religious, cultural and ethnic diversity and the promotion of its ensuring, to protect the religious and cultural heritage, to follow the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, to support the joint activity of religious, scientific and public figures in the field of the promotion and protection of women’s and children’s rights.

 

Vusal Mammadov

Analytical Group