Foreign media
The London Post publishes article by Azerbaijani ambassador on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
The London Post has published an article by Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom Tahir Tagizade regarding the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The ambassador says: “During the last 10 days, there was a huge flow of information in international as well as British media, not to mention the social networks, with regard to the recent upsurge in the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Among these, is one simple, yet very strong element of reality that always stands out: Armenia occupied and ethnically cleansed Nagorno Karabakh and 7 adjacent regions of Azerbaijan and the UN Security Council Resolutions (823, 854, 874, 884) of 1993 demanding immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian occupying forces from occupied territories of Azerbaijan, remain unfulfilled.”
Referring to the article ““War or peace: Time to get serious” written by Armenia’s first president Levon Ter-Petrosyan in 1997, the Azerbaijani diplomat notes that many believe that this was the most profound piece of writing on Nagorno Karabakh ever penned in Armenia since the beginning of the conflict.
“Among other things like acknowledging the impossibility of sustaining status-quo and superiority of international norms and warning against unrealistic goals and false illusions, Ter Petrosyan was arguing that it would have taken Armenia straight into abyss,” Ambassador Tagizade says.
“When Nikol Pashinian came to power in 2018, many regarded this as the beginning of a new and constructive phase for the negotiations process. Unfortunately, these hopes have been thrown into doubt due to the never-ending provocative actions, inflammatory rhetoric, and irresponsible behavior of Armenia’s political-military leadership within the last two years,” he adds.
The diplomat emphasizes that provocations carried out by the Armenian leadership, both in word and in deed, including Pashinian’s visit to Shusha in May 2020 to inaugurate the so-called “president” of the self-proclaimed regime in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, his provocative “Karabakh is Armenia, Period” statement made in the occupied city of Khankendi in August 2019, the introduction of a “new war for new territories” concept by Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan in March 2019, putting forward 7 pre-conditions in the conflict settlement negotiations, as well as attempts to change the talks format, have dealt a blow to the conflict settlement process mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs.
“Having failed in its attempt to provoke Azerbaijan by endangering energy infrastructure or by dragging the CSTO into the conflict back in July 2020 (when Armenia attacked Azerbaijan alongside the international border in the Tovuz region), Armenia launched another act of aggression against my country starting from September 27. And now this is a true moment of test for the international community to stand firmly behind the very norms and principles that they adhered to back in 1945 when the United Nations was established. By shelling Azerbaijan’s cities, civilian population and infrastructure far removed from the conflict zone, Armenia flagrantly violates international humanitarian law, blatantly and at an unheard scope,” he says.
Ambassador Tagizade continues: “There are several tendencies which worry me a lot during these days just as anyone caring about the stability in the region: Growing anti-Azerbaijan paranoia in Armenian society. I hope my friends from Conciliation Resources hear me; Diaspora’s distractive role: Every day we come across a number of news reports as well as social media excerpts on people of Armenian descent living in Russia, Lebanon, Greece, Syria, and elsewhere trying to and sometimes succeeding in getting to Nagorno Karabakh to fight against my country; Regional players who seem to be at a loss sometimes; Ineptness of the OSCE Minsk Group and obvious bias by some among its Co-Chairmanship institute.”
“Lack of necessary international pressure. Plain calls for immediate peace without enforcing the norms and principles of international law are useless at best and at the very worst contribute to presumed impunity enjoyed by Armenia in spite of its ever-aggressive policy. Despite having suffered heavy civilian casualties as a result of Armenia’s yet another act of aggression which definitely adds to an outburst of emotions in Azerbaijani society, my country is ready to address these issues in a substantive manner. For as, eventually, it is about winning the peace, not about winning the war,” the diplomat concludes.