On May 28, in Berdzor, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev presented threats and ultimatums to Armenia and Artsakh. The guests of the “Aravot” program “Areresum” (“Confrontation”) – YSU Associate Professor Menua Soghomonyan, member of the Board of the “Unification” movement, and ARF member, historian, military analyst Artur Yeghiazaryan responded to them. We present excerpts from their speech: Ilham Aliyev: “I say before it’s not too late. As long as Armenia still has legal, not de facto, independence, as long as the concept of borders of Armenia is accepted in a certain sense, they must accept our conditions. They don’t want delimitation; no need for it. What will happen then? The border will pass where we say. They know we can do it. No one will help them, not the retired French policemen from Europe or anyone else.”
Artur Yeghiazaryan: “It is an impression that the authorities of Armenia and Azerbaijan are acting harmoniously. In Armenia, they constantly feed a false peace agenda and scare us that if we don’t go for peace, which we don’t go for because we don’t see it from the other side. But after the defeat, they constantly play with it in people’s minds when we need time to heal they have created such a thing that they want peace; and if suddenly, they leave; there might be a war. But they don’t say that the war is going on in this way right now. And the government constantly uses it, scaring people to give the enemy what they want, just so there won’t be a war. But that way, we only lose.
… Where did Aliyev say all this- in Berdzor? Did he get it by military means? Only with a signature on paper. So, his rant…”
Ilham Aliyev: “The road to Nakhichevan must be opened, the representatives of the Armenian army, who are still in Karabakh, must be withdrawn. These are our conditions. I announce these conditions here in the city of Lachine so that everyone can see that we are here today and will be here forever. Let them also know that the villages of Armenia are visible from here. We also see those villages; let them not forget about it too.”
Read also
Menua Soghomonyan: “This is a signal to the Armenian people that we will not live in peace until we are ready to resist and fight. After the end of the 44-day war, from the moment when Nikol Pashinyan announced the era of peace, from that day until now, we have lost 400 victims. Nikol Pashinyan and war are synonymous. Pashinyan preaches about peace but brings war because our neighbor is Azerbaijan, not civilized Sweden. And when we concede to Azerbaijan, it continuously makes more and more demands, scaring us. Nikol Pashinyan also takes that step: by constantly waving the baton of fear at the people, he solves the problem of maintaining his power. Indeed, in Aghdam, we did not give up an inch of land the direction of Akna. We did not give ground in the direction of Karvachar, during the war, by force of arms. But all of them were handed by a signature.”
Ilham Aliyev: “Today, we have all the opportunities to carry out any action in that region. Therefore, the parliament should be dissolved, the element that calls itself the president should surrender, and all ministers, deputies, and others should leave their positions. Only then can forgiveness be shown to them. Only in that case can we talk about some amnesty. They can receive amnesty only if they voluntarily leave all fictitious positions and apply for Azerbaijani citizenship. Even then, we will see.”
Artur Yeghiazaryan: “Aliyev’s main goal is to keep Artsakh under pressure until he is convinced that the people of Artsakh are mentally broken. There are still no such signs. And when he is convinced, be sure they will immediately open the roads in purpose for 30-40 percent of Artsakh’s population to leave. And after that, Armenian Artsakh will lose its vitality. And on the contrary, those who remain after that will be treated well, for a short time.”
Ilham Aliyev: The book of “Connection” is closed; separatism is over. The dreams of independence went where the status. And during the second Karabakh War, we sent the status to where it was needed. Therefore, there is only one way left: to obey Azerbaijan’s laws and become loyal, ordinary citizens of Azerbaijan.”
Menua Soghomonyan: “By this, Aliyev is referring to the nationwide goal set in our Declaration of Independence, based on our Constitution, by which Artsakh should self-determine and join the Motherland in the future. It suggests that we should give up that idea. That form of blackmail, that language of ultimatums, is an insult to the national dignity of the Armenian people. We must not allow that, and this is not pathos. Dignity is a political category.”
The entire conversation is in the video
Anna ISRAYELYAN
