Chairman of the Political Science Association of Armenia, Doctor of Political Science Hayk Kotanjian published the Association Council’s following Statement
On May 11, 2012, on the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs’ recent visit to Baku, the Head of Political and Public Affairs sector of Azerbaijani President’s Administration Fuad Akhundov made a statement in which he noted that today’s Armenia was created in the historical lands of Azerbaijan and accused the Armenian authorities of destroying “the samples of Azerbaijani cultural, religious and architectural heritage” in the territory of Armenia. The Azerbaijani official also emphasized that the historical facts, ancient sources and geographical maps proved that the state of Armenia has never existed in the Caucasus.
The current Azerbaijani administration continues the former Azerbaijani Government’s policy of historical facts distortion that is obviously based on anti-scientific approaches.
Taking into account the fact that the regime in Azerbaijan is tyrannical, Political Science Association of Armenia is convinced that Akhundov’s statement was made with the knowledge of the Azerbaijani President. Thus, the Association qualifies this announcement as an evident attempt of territorial claim against the Republic of Armenia and a deliberate provocation of the Azerbaijani authorities aimed at discrediting the OSCE Minsk Group and destabilizing the region. Such statements undermine the efforts of the international community to form an atmosphere of trust between the parties to the conflict, create prerequisites for justifying a new aggression against neighbors, once again put into question the implementation of Azerbaijani government’s international obligations, and display the non-constructive position adopted by the Azerbaijani authorities in the negotiation process.
Political Science Association of Armenia