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AZERBAIJAN'S REFUSAL TO ACCEPT REALITY REASON WHY NAGORNO-KARABAKH NOT INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED - GRIGOR HOVHANNISYAN
13:52 * 16.10.14
The Mexico-based Canal 7 TV channel aired Armenian Ambassador to
Mexico Grigor Hovhannisyan's response to the Azerbaijani Embassy's
information on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The Armenian ambassador's message reads, in particular:
"We appreciate the initiative of Canal 7 to familiarize its viewers
with the status of the unsettled conflict between Azerbaijan and
the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. And while I read with interest some
of the insights and comments given by my Azeri colleague to Canal 7,
I would like to offer to your viewers the Armenian perspective into
this conflict that international community has been trying to solve
for almost two decades now.
"The first fundamental thing one should know about Karabakh, is that
there is no such thing as Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. Instead, the
conflict broke out, when Azerbaijan unleashed its whole military might
against the tiny Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Region and its entirely
civilian population, after the latter had voted in a legally binding
referendum for independence. To understand this context and to draw
parallels, I suggest you imagine for a second the reaction of the
Great Britain to the Scottish vote of independence. It is unthinkable
to even imagine that the UK would one way or another crack down on
Scottish voters, should they have opted for independence. That is
exactly what makes countries and nations great. Shortly after the
Karabakh independence vote, Azerbaijan it put in motion its giant war
machine and began pounding cities and villages, schools and hospitals
with cluster munitions and other dreadful weapons causing tens of
thousands of deaths among the civilians.
"A bloody war that ensued claimed the lives of tens of thousands of
people, mostly civilians, and mostly in Karabakh, but resulted in a
decisive victory of the tiny province of Karabakh against Azerbaijan's
manifold superior forces. After having legally voted for independence,
the people of Karabakh have fought for and won their fundamental
right for self-determination in what, perhaps, was one of the most
emotionally charged and dramatic liberation struggles of the last
century - full of heroism, selflessness and sacrifice.
"For the last 23 years the people of Karabakh have been building their
statehood: against formidable odds of blockade, post war devastation
and constant threats from Azerbaijan. And yet, the country that the
people of Karabakh have built since the ceasefire went into effect
has democratic institutions, competitive and transparent election
processes and pluralism of opinions. This is in sharp contrast to
Azerbaijan, which since independence, has consistently embraced the
philosophy of oppression and intolerance to become a country with
political prisoners, a hereditary authoritarian rule of the Aliyev
clan, a country described by the human rights watchdogs as the most
corrupt and repressive (not-free).
"It is true that as a result of the Azeri government's intransigence
and refusal to accept the reality and FACTs on the ground, the Nagorno
Karabakh Republic is not legally recognized by the international
community as a sovereign state. Armenia has not de jure recognized
NKR either, because of its commitment to a negotiated settlement
with Azerbaijan, although it is not a big secret that Armenia and
NKR are fully integrated, as a single nation. The country has not
been yet recognized, but this does not mean that the recognition
process is stalled. Whether you like it or not, the process of NKR's
international recognition is well underway: at the level of popular
and parliamentary diplomacy. The latest example - is the recognition
of NKR by the California State Assembly and the Senate.
"As it is pointed out by my Azeri colleague, the Karabakh conflict is
being mediated by three countries: US, Russia and France - co-chairs of
the so called Minks Group of Organization of Security and Cooperation
in Europe- the organization mandated by the international community to
mediate and foster the peace process. The Armenian and Karabakh sides
are committed to a settlement based on mutual compromise. However, this
good will is not matched by the Azeri side, which, instead of embracing
the peace plan currently on the table, attempts to delegitimize the
OSCE Minsk Group, while also trying hard to intimidate the Karabakh
side by saber-rattling. Oil-rich Azerbaijan has taken a full advantage
of the last decade's unbridled oil price hikes and heavily invested
in the buildup of its armed forces, thus hoping to gain upper hand
in the conflict with the tiny Karabakh.
"After having torpedoed the latest rounds of peace talks, Azerbaijan
incessantly states its frustration and mulls its right to resort to
military force in order to achieve a breakthrough in the conflict.
This past August Azerbaijan even launched a series of military
offensives against Karabakh - and was once again forced to retreat
after having suffered substantial losses and humiliation.
"I could not agree more with my Azeri colleague that people in our
region are fed up with the status quo and that the "no-war-no-peace"
situation is in no one's interest. And in order to achieve a lasting
peace our Azeri counterparts should give more consideration to the
legitimate interests of the people of Karabakh. The "offer" of a high
degree of autonomy within a brutally repressive and racially intolerant
Azerbaijan is anything but appealing to the people of Karabakh who
have been living in freedom and dignity for the last 23 years.
"PS Armenians refer to Karabakh as Artsakh - the original name of the
region that has been recorded by the Greek classical historian Strabo.
Artsakh has always been one of the cradles of western/Christian
civilization in the Asia Minor - with numerous priceless vestiges
of early Christian architecture dating back to first centuries of
the Common Era. Nagorno Karabakh is a geographic name introduced
in the 1920s by the Bolsheviks to denominate the historic Armenian
province of Artsakh, which was forcibly annexed to Soviet Azerbaijan
by Joseph Stalin. During the 70 years of Soviet Azeri rule (Azeri
are predominantly Shiite Muslims), Artsakh has been subjected to
systematic ethnic cleansing and discrimination campaigns. In the wake
of Gorbachev's perestroika, people of Artsakh stood up for their
rights and voted for independence in 1989, in accordance with law
and procedures set forth by Soviet Constitution."
http://www.tert.am/en/news/2014/10/16/Armenia-grigor-hovhannisyan/
13:52 * 16.10.14
The Mexico-based Canal 7 TV channel aired Armenian Ambassador to
Mexico Grigor Hovhannisyan's response to the Azerbaijani Embassy's
information on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The Armenian ambassador's message reads, in particular:
"We appreciate the initiative of Canal 7 to familiarize its viewers
with the status of the unsettled conflict between Azerbaijan and
the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. And while I read with interest some
of the insights and comments given by my Azeri colleague to Canal 7,
I would like to offer to your viewers the Armenian perspective into
this conflict that international community has been trying to solve
for almost two decades now.
"The first fundamental thing one should know about Karabakh, is that
there is no such thing as Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict. Instead, the
conflict broke out, when Azerbaijan unleashed its whole military might
against the tiny Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Region and its entirely
civilian population, after the latter had voted in a legally binding
referendum for independence. To understand this context and to draw
parallels, I suggest you imagine for a second the reaction of the
Great Britain to the Scottish vote of independence. It is unthinkable
to even imagine that the UK would one way or another crack down on
Scottish voters, should they have opted for independence. That is
exactly what makes countries and nations great. Shortly after the
Karabakh independence vote, Azerbaijan it put in motion its giant war
machine and began pounding cities and villages, schools and hospitals
with cluster munitions and other dreadful weapons causing tens of
thousands of deaths among the civilians.
"A bloody war that ensued claimed the lives of tens of thousands of
people, mostly civilians, and mostly in Karabakh, but resulted in a
decisive victory of the tiny province of Karabakh against Azerbaijan's
manifold superior forces. After having legally voted for independence,
the people of Karabakh have fought for and won their fundamental
right for self-determination in what, perhaps, was one of the most
emotionally charged and dramatic liberation struggles of the last
century - full of heroism, selflessness and sacrifice.
"For the last 23 years the people of Karabakh have been building their
statehood: against formidable odds of blockade, post war devastation
and constant threats from Azerbaijan. And yet, the country that the
people of Karabakh have built since the ceasefire went into effect
has democratic institutions, competitive and transparent election
processes and pluralism of opinions. This is in sharp contrast to
Azerbaijan, which since independence, has consistently embraced the
philosophy of oppression and intolerance to become a country with
political prisoners, a hereditary authoritarian rule of the Aliyev
clan, a country described by the human rights watchdogs as the most
corrupt and repressive (not-free).
"It is true that as a result of the Azeri government's intransigence
and refusal to accept the reality and FACTs on the ground, the Nagorno
Karabakh Republic is not legally recognized by the international
community as a sovereign state. Armenia has not de jure recognized
NKR either, because of its commitment to a negotiated settlement
with Azerbaijan, although it is not a big secret that Armenia and
NKR are fully integrated, as a single nation. The country has not
been yet recognized, but this does not mean that the recognition
process is stalled. Whether you like it or not, the process of NKR's
international recognition is well underway: at the level of popular
and parliamentary diplomacy. The latest example - is the recognition
of NKR by the California State Assembly and the Senate.
"As it is pointed out by my Azeri colleague, the Karabakh conflict is
being mediated by three countries: US, Russia and France - co-chairs of
the so called Minks Group of Organization of Security and Cooperation
in Europe- the organization mandated by the international community to
mediate and foster the peace process. The Armenian and Karabakh sides
are committed to a settlement based on mutual compromise. However, this
good will is not matched by the Azeri side, which, instead of embracing
the peace plan currently on the table, attempts to delegitimize the
OSCE Minsk Group, while also trying hard to intimidate the Karabakh
side by saber-rattling. Oil-rich Azerbaijan has taken a full advantage
of the last decade's unbridled oil price hikes and heavily invested
in the buildup of its armed forces, thus hoping to gain upper hand
in the conflict with the tiny Karabakh.
"After having torpedoed the latest rounds of peace talks, Azerbaijan
incessantly states its frustration and mulls its right to resort to
military force in order to achieve a breakthrough in the conflict.
This past August Azerbaijan even launched a series of military
offensives against Karabakh - and was once again forced to retreat
after having suffered substantial losses and humiliation.
"I could not agree more with my Azeri colleague that people in our
region are fed up with the status quo and that the "no-war-no-peace"
situation is in no one's interest. And in order to achieve a lasting
peace our Azeri counterparts should give more consideration to the
legitimate interests of the people of Karabakh. The "offer" of a high
degree of autonomy within a brutally repressive and racially intolerant
Azerbaijan is anything but appealing to the people of Karabakh who
have been living in freedom and dignity for the last 23 years.
"PS Armenians refer to Karabakh as Artsakh - the original name of the
region that has been recorded by the Greek classical historian Strabo.
Artsakh has always been one of the cradles of western/Christian
civilization in the Asia Minor - with numerous priceless vestiges
of early Christian architecture dating back to first centuries of
the Common Era. Nagorno Karabakh is a geographic name introduced
in the 1920s by the Bolsheviks to denominate the historic Armenian
province of Artsakh, which was forcibly annexed to Soviet Azerbaijan
by Joseph Stalin. During the 70 years of Soviet Azeri rule (Azeri
are predominantly Shiite Muslims), Artsakh has been subjected to
systematic ethnic cleansing and discrimination campaigns. In the wake
of Gorbachev's perestroika, people of Artsakh stood up for their
rights and voted for independence in 1989, in accordance with law
and procedures set forth by Soviet Constitution."
http://www.tert.am/en/news/2014/10/16/Armenia-grigor-hovhannisyan/