The price of “the independence bought with blood”

Why does Azerbaijan continue to be unconstructive?

Artsakh celebrated the 20th anniversary of its freedom the other day. In that regard, particularly in Stepanakert notions were expressed, which, as it was expected, Azerbaijan did not like. The neighboring country expressed its displeasure in Dushanbe, at the Assembly dedicated to the 20th anniversary of establishing the CIS. The event was attended by the presidents of 8 out of 11 CIS countries, Armenia, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Kirghizstan, Turkmenistan, Moldova and Tajikistan. The president of Azerbaijan did not participate in the Assembly; that, according to the Russian mass media, was because Ilham Aliyev is displeased with the Russian mediation mission, and because other co-chairs do not put Armenia “under pressure”. However, under the conditions of Aliyev’s absence, he was successfully replaced by the Azerbaijani Prime Minister.
President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan stated in Dushanbe, “The people of Nagorno-Karabakh, having all the grounds, used their right of self-determination and bought with their blood the right of independent existence.” Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Artur Rasizade did not conceal his displeasure with this speech and stated that the words of the Armenian President bring into question the mediation mission of the OSCE Minsk Group to settle the Karabakh conflict and other peaceful initiatives. He also stated that Armenia had committed aggression against Azerbaijan.
Secretary of the RPA faction of the NA Eduard Sharmazanov, commenting on these statements, said to “Aravot” the following, “The Azerbaijani side has become really nervous recently; take into consideration that many assessments of the analysts, co-chair countries were made after Kazan – all of them clearly said that they would not allow the use of force and the issue must be resolved based on the principles declared and well-known, in response to which the Azerbaijani leadership  made unconstructive and far-from-reality statements and notions. Certainly, the messages to settle the Karabakh conflict peacefully had one addressee, the Azerbaijani leadership, and Aliyev, making that diplomatic demarche (not taking part in the CIS Assembly), wanted to say that he does not want to resolve the issue, but evades the issue resolution. And that certainly makes Azerbaijan’s condition worse. As to the well-known attitude of the Prime Minister of that country, I stick to thinking that Azerbaijan continues to imitate; it continues to make efforts for making the peaceful settlement negotiations reach a deadlock, because they know quite well that the issue has only one resolution, just resolution. Because, as the President of our country stated in Dushanbe, the people of Artsakh used all of their internationally recognized rights and declared their independence and won a very normal, natural victory in an aggressive war forced by Azerbaijan.”
In response to “Aravot’s” question whether he shared the notions that Azerbaijan was offended or insulted by the Russian position toward the Karabakh issue resolution process, Eduard SHarmazanov said that there might be such thing, since the Russian side also made quite clear that the Karabakh issue should not be artificially delayed, artificially complicated and this issue should be resolved based only on three internationally admitted principles, “We saw that the Kazan meeting failed and had no result, because Azerbaijan, putting aside its promises made to the heads of the co-chair country, made new offers, realizing quite well that Armenia and Russia are strategic partners, and the Russian president stated, as you remember, in Yerevan at the time that Russia would fulfill its strategic-partner obligations, in case of possible war.”