“It is surprising that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia has just noticed Azerbaijan’s policy and is now reacting to it,” Azerbaijanologist Grigori Ayvazyan said in an interview with “Aravot,” referring to the reaction of the RA Foreign Ministry spokesperson regarding the Azerbaijani propaganda. Let’s remind that the spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry recorded that the state television company of Azerbaijan showed a 35-minute “film” in which the entire sovereign territory of Armenia is presented as the territory of Azerbaijan. “Regions of Armenia, the capital city of Yerevan, and Lake Sevan appear with Azerbaijani place names. That is not the first time. With false indications, Azerbaijan constantly feeds its public with anti-Armenian sentiments. As a reprehensible and unacceptable behavior for the region, it should be firmly rejected by all,” said the spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry.
“Now the MFA has woken up? Didn’t they know that for more than 30 years, there was this question in the Azerbaijani historiography and political discourse that Armenia is supposed to be “Western Azerbaijan,” that the Azerbaijanis who left here should be back? In 1992, they created the so-called “Western Azerbaijan” government in exile, the government of the Turks who left here, and recently resumed these works. And Aliyev insisted that Yerevan is an old Azerbaijani city and they will also return to Yerevan. Therefore, it is surprising that it has just been noticed, and the reaction is now being heard. The danger is real; Azerbaijan threatens with the complete elimination of our statehood,” Grigori Ayvazyan told us.
Regarding how Armenia should oppose this policy at the state level, Grigori Ayvazyan said that first of all, we should fight them through historiography. “In other words, we must present our truth; first, we must support historians and use their works in foreign policy and propaganda. Secondly, the issue of Azerbaijani-Armenian refugees should be raised at the state level and not raised from occasion to occasion. When this conversation happened in Azerbaijan, a wave again rose in Armenia; we remembered that we also have refugees, although Azerbaijan does not. If they did not recognize the independence of Artsakh, then the displaced persons inside the country cannot be considered refugees. And those who left Armenia automatically received Azerbaijani citizenship according to the 1992 law on Azerbaijani citizenship. As a counterweight, the issue of refugees should be used. We must say: if you want them to return, first return the Azerbaijani Armenians, ensure their safety, return the displaced Armenians from Hadrut, Shushi, Martakert, Shahumyan, Getashen, Martunashen, then we will talk about other issues,” he said.
According to Grigori Ayvazyan, there is no “enclave” in Armenia and no legal or historical grounds for it. “And there is no reason to recognize Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan because Azerbaijan refused to be the successor of Soviet Azerbaijan. If Azerbaijan itself does not recognize it, why should we? We have to have a vision and a plan, and not only to react but also to attack,” he added.
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Rosa HOVHANNISYAN
