RESOLUTION OF ARMENIAN-AZERBAIJANI CONFLICT KEY TO COEXISTENCE
news.az
May 4 2010
Azerbaijan
Elin Suleymanov News.Az interviews Elin Suleymanov, Azerbaijan’s
consul general in Los Angeles.
Do you think the attendance of the Armenian Catholicos at the religious
summit in Baku will affect Azerbaijani-Armenian relations?
Catholicos Garegin ll’s presence in Baku has introduced a positive
element into the situation in the region. On the whole, the summit
reiterated Azerbaijan’s importance in intercultural dialogue and also
showed that religious figures can contribute to strengthening peace
and security.
It is too soon to predict the influence of the Catholicos’ visit
to Baku on Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, since an improvement
in the situation requires progress in the resolution of the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict and that the Armenian authorities give up
their policy of confrontation with their neighbours. At the same time,
Garegin’s participation in the religious summit and his meetings in
Azerbaijan pave the way for greater mutual understanding on a purely
human level.
How do you assess the appearance of the first Armenian-language
website in Azerbaijan?
Azerbaijan is one of the leading countries in the region, therefore,
the appearance of information resources both in Armenian and in other
languages of our neighbours is timely and useful. I would like to
wish success to the leadership and the staff of the website. This is
a very interesting initiative.
Are Armenians interested in getting information about Azerbaijan?
It is difficult to judge the interest of Armenians. Much depends on
whether the information on your website is provided in a form that is
interesting to the readers. At the same time, certainly, information
about Azerbaijan should arouse interest amongst Armenian readers since
there is a definite lack of information and this does not promote
mutual understanding. Let’s recall that immediately after the elections
of the Armenian president in 2008 the country imposed censorship and
the leading Armenian websites announced that the information posted
their had passed the official censors. Tackling the problem of the
Armenian press is certainly not the job your website, but this example
again proves the importance of increasing the information exchange.
How realistic do you consider the peaceful coexistence of Azerbaijanis
and Armenians once the Karabakh conflict has been resolved?
I think our peoples simply have no choice. We are neighbours through
the hand of God. Though today we are facing negative moments in
history and the present, we have the experience of coexistence and
a successful neighbourhood. Our neighbours in Armenia simply have
to realize that we are responsible for the future of our region and
narrow ethnic ideology will not be useful in the multi-ethnic Caucasus.
The resolution of the Karabakh conflict as soon as possible is
certainly the key to peaceful coexistence. The real tension in the
region comes from the occupation of Azerbaijani lands and the driving
of about one million civilians from their homes rather than abstract
emotions on the basis of ethnic affiliation. Armenians should ask
themselves a simple question: how do they imagine the future of the
whole region if the status quo does not change? I do not doubt that
anyone with any sense realizes the need for progress on the resolution
as soon as possible.
Are Azerbaijanis and Armenians able to restore cooperation in different
spheres, for example, in transnational projects, forgetting their
previous quarrels?
It is not that we have to forget our history. Historical memory is an
integral part of national consciousness. When we talk about ‘quarrels’,
we again imply the implications of the Armenian aggression that killed
thousands, made hundreds of thousands refugees and caused great damage
to the economy. This cannot be forgotten!
We should better strive to ensure that the lessons of history do not
damage our future. That is, we should demonstrate sound pragmatism and
realize that there are no alternatives to coexistence as neighbours and
regional integration. Azerbaijan has repeatedly proven its pragmatism
and openness for cooperation on a mutually profitable basis. It is
now Armenia’s turn, which must prove that it is a really independent
state and a full member of the regional community. For this purpose,
for Yerevan, the priority must be the welfare of Armenian citizens
rather than ideological euphoria.
As for the lessons of history, probably, it is time for Armenians to
understand that it is important to find a common language with their
neighbours which meets the interests of the Armenian people.