The cathedral attacked
Of course, it seems strange that the ambassador of another country, in this case, Azerbaijan, refers to my letter of response to the Turkish ambassador.
This is if these two countries have not publicly declared that they are “one country, two states”, if they have not pursued the same policy of Armenophobic, nationalist and denial, if since the independence of Armenia in 1991 they have not kept the border that Armenia has been closed for three decades and they will not try to impose a total blockade, if they do not teach their children in their schools that all Armenians are their enemies …
The conditions are many. But there are also many “how to”. The title of the article is: “Azerbaijan is ready to normalize relations with Armenia”. The question immediately arose: how, the killing of indigenous Armenian civilians in Artsakh, the bombing of the world’s first Christian temples and committing cultural genocide?
Bringing hired terrorists from the Middle East and using illicit weapons? Intentionally twisting history? The hostage-taking of Armenian prisoners of war and civilians two years after the war despite the sermons of all international human rights organizations?
armenian cathedral
Blown up Artsakh’s single gas pipeline during the winter? Claimed Zangezur and Yerevan in addition to Artsakh? (Picture 1-7) Let me remind you that the capital of Armenia, Yerevan, my hometown, is celebrating this year the 2804th anniversary of its founding, and Azerbaijan, for its part, is celebrating 104 years of existence.
However, these data do not prevent the president of Azerbaijan from declaring that Yerevan is a “historic city of Azerbaijan”. As is often said, comments are unnecessary.
But my Azerbaijani colleague was not surprised by his own president’s statements, but by my expression “Karabakh, the historic Armenian province of Artsakh”. You shouldn’t be surprised, because it’s an unanswerable fact, whether you like it or not. Artsakh is Armenian even though the state of Azerbaijan does not yet exist and the Azerbaijani ethnic group has not yet been formed.
Of course, these facts are also known to our colleagues in Azerbaijan, but they are obliged to be “surprised”, according to the philosophy of their country.
However, unlike Azerbaijan, Armenia has always respected the territorial integrity of all countries and favored the implementation of this international principle, especially today, when Azerbaijan itself violates the territorial integrity of Armenia.
The Artsakh issue has nothing to do with the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, as Artsakh has never been part of independent Azerbaijan. It was incorporated into Soviet Azerbaijan during Soviet rule.
I don’t want to overload with data, now it’s very easy to check all that, it’s enough on a smartphone with an internet connection. But what happened next? The Armenian people did not allow a second genocide in the same century, this time in Artsakh.
Yes, the conflict in Artsakh is a matter of physical existence and protection of human rights, a matter of the right to life and of the ability to live safely and with dignity in the homeland, of the ability to exercise the right to decide one’s own destiny. .
We have some “successful” examples of Azerbaijani coexistence, such as in Nakhchivan, another historic province of Armenia, where not only today there are no Armenians left, but all the monuments that testify to the presence of Armenians were destroyed, and even. where the place name is incorrect. The letter also mentions the poverty and economic decline of Armenia.
All this is far from the truth, as much as Azerbaijan wants and tries to do so. Despite three decades of blockade by Azerbaijan and its older brother, Turkey, Armenia has been successful in many areas. Today it is a dynamically developing country, reflected in the indicators of all sectors of the economy.
Of course, we don’t have Azerbaijan’s oil and gas, but we have more valuable wealth, human potential and its components, knowledge, professionalism, values, democracy. And Azerbaijan, unfortunately, is really poor, poor in terms of human rights, freedom of expression, historical memory, democracy.
Just open a report on Azerbaijan from any international human rights organization or any state, and it will remind you of a textbook on democracy and human rights violations, or a “don’t do” guide.
An indisputable fact is that, since 1969, in the middle of the Soviet era, that country has been ruled by the same family, with minor disruptions, transferring power by inheritance, with all the consequences. with it. If the basic rights and freedoms of its own citizens are not respected in Azerbaijan, how should the rights of the Artakh Armenians be respected, even if they constitute its original population …?
Armenia seeks normal relations with all countries without exception, but not at the expense of its national interests. The future must be modeled not only in words, but in concrete actions and steps.
The future is not built using primitive propaganda, fake news and exporting corruption to look civilized and save face. You can’t hit one hand while shaking the other.
Letter from the Armenian ambassador to Argentina, Hovhannés Virabyan
Source: Clarin
