IS LEZGISTAN A REALITY?
Igor Muradyan, Political Analyst
Comments – 23 September 2014, 22:30
Initially, this article was headlined “Will Lezgistan Come True?” but
a country comes true only when it becomes a subject of discussion
which has different expressions, including that of national liberation
struggle.
The question in the headline was asked to me by a Lezgi friend. The
question is asked and you should try to answer it. The Lezgi people
are divided between two totalitarian regimes and therefore already
repressed. But this is a conventional definition as not only the
Lezgi people but also the country of Lezgistan is divided for whose
freedom political struggle is underway.
It is hard to find another nationality in Russia which undergoes such
barefaced and severe discrimination as the Lezgi people, and it was
a sign that both countries are interested in close cooperation over
a clampdown on the Lezgi liberation movement and complete elimination
of the “Lezgi issue” from the word stock and political discussion.
The Lezgi people have a full set of features and political and
historical evidence that the area of their current settlement is
not just an ethnic habitat but also a country with territorial,
political and ethnic outlines on the political map. The Kurdish people,
divided for a long time among four states, has not only found practical
recognition of their right to sovereignty but also entered into close
relations with states that previously could not agree to recognize
their rights. This happened because the Kurdish people skillfully
followed the path of the national liberation struggle and, at the
same time, did comprehensive work on the international arena. And if
earlier the lands inhabited by the Kurds were not called Kurdistan,
it is now a recognized political place name.
Europe, with its well-known set of values is facing the problem
of creation of new sovereign states whose current territories are
still being called regions. But these peoples have played a no less
important role in history than the big European nations and have the
right to sovereign existence.
Furthermore, such issues are not resolved through referenda. Once the
process starts, it cannot be stopped, and those who actually rule
Europe are well-aware of this. At the same time, it is clear that
a number of large member-states of the European Union, though in a
latent manner, support the desire of these peoples to be independent.
This suggests that even within the European Union there are such
traditional controversies based on ethnic and political problems.
This is a very delicate issue, and one does not want to discuss these
circumstances but soon they will become quite obvious. We are speaking
about this because we would like to find out the genuine values that
interest Europeans, and how this relates to geopolitical goals. One
should clearly understand that the values and geopolitics are the
two principles of one system and they cannot be fulfilled without
each other.
In this regard, it should be noted that the not so very extensive work
done by the Armenian public organizations in Europe and partly in the
United States shows that the West is more interested in the the Lezgi
issue not in regard to the problem of Azerbaijan but in regard to
Russia. In other words, if we assume the emergence of the Lezgi issue
as part of geopolitics, it can be viewed through the prism of West’s
strike to Russia, its weakening in a specific regional direction.
Of course, Europe is only an arena for the legitimization of political
problems, and the impact of regional problems is dependent on the
United States which usually reserves problems and waits until they
become urgent due to different reasons. In the Caucasus region the
United States has sufficient experience of applying such tactics,
Armenia, for example, which was in the foreign policy reserve of the
United States for more than 10 years since independence.
The Armenian circles in Europe and the United States are very well
informed or rather they understand what place the Euro-Atlantic
community may give to the Lezgi issue. This can happen on the basis
of the current perceptions of the Americans and their partners in
Europe as part of emergence of problems of Dagestan. Of course, this
is not the most favorable circumstance for the Lezgi people but, in
any case, the Lezgi people are considered in the matrix of problems
and circumstances.
The question that arises is whether the “Lezgi scenario” is
connected with the decreased significance of Azerbaijan, which may
be determined by depletion of carbohydrates or its transit functions
in the region of Central Asia and the Caucasus. It should be noted
that this scenario is quite complex since Azerbaijan is associated
with many serious problems in the region, the interests of Turkey,
Iran, Russia, Israel and other influential countries.
However, the main factor of loss of Azerbaijan’s geostrategic value is
the continuing deterioration of Turkish-American relations. The United
States needs more comprehensible partners to resolve the problem of
curbing Turkish expansion, which was demonstrated by the developments
in the Middle East.
Although, we are not talking about Azerbaijan but about Russia
whose position in the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea must be adjusted
significantly. It seems that the success of this scenario mostly
depends on the timing and the ability of time management for different
events and processes. Hence, there is a game, and it has already begun.
Under these circumstances, the Lezgi people could be in great danger,
and threats arise from both Azerbaijan and Russia. The United States
is pursuing the policy of dual containment of Turkey and Russia as
states that share interests, which implies, inter alia, fragmentation
of these countries. In this situation every ethno-political factor
may be considered thoroughly, including as reserve.
When will the solution be reached? It is already in place since the
Ukrainian developments catalyzed the processes. But now it is time
to start internationalization of the Lezgi issue, being primarily
present on the European and American political and legal arena.
In the Euro-Atlantic geostrategy Lezgistan can at the same time be
viewed as the “castle” and “gates” in the Caucasus and the Caspian
region. It would be a promising activity of the Lezgi organizations in
the Islamic political environment, in both Sunni and Shiite countries,
political and religious structures.
What is needed, first of all? Of course, we need prepared politicians
and public figures. The Lezgi people have come into the present period
as a well-prepared nation whose leaders are considering political
realities as problems experienced by them and their people, unless of
course, we take into account their quantity, today’s complex political
and social situation, level of education.
An outside opinion on the Lezgi problem allows you to assert that
the main problem of the Lezgi people is organization and development
of human resources. For the time being, their human resources are
significantly far from the needs and ideas of the Lezgi people,
while the younger generation is educated in a randomly chosen way,
without any socially-driven need.
Russian and Azerbaijani services have set out to divide Lezgi social
groups. Furthermore, it is done with mutual coordination, which no
longer needs a proof. Perhaps, difficult times are awaiting the Lezgi
people and what matters is that the Lezgi national liberation movement
is independent.
Armenia is a country with deep tradition of work of many individuals
and organized groups in the interests of Russia. Armenia’s dependence
on Russia will lead it to a political and military disaster, not to
mention the economy. Can the Lezgi people hope for the liberation of
their country by the Armenian army?
If a large-scale war starts between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the
liberation of Lezgistan will be inevitable. This is a very simple and
clear mechanics. However, they come to one’s rescue if one wants to
be rescued and is ready to defend oneself. This can serve as a model
for the Lezgi people, which is the main threat to them.
The Lezgi people are rather biased, first of all, due to the difficult
micro-geopolitics in which these people have found themselves. At the
same time, one can already state that the process of self-determination
of the Lezgi people has gone out of control and cannot be stopped.
We can assert that the Lezgi people had a homeland but had no country
because their vast majority did not know where their country was. Now
it is clear as it is clear to others. Lezgistan is a reality because
it has found its opponents – Russia and Azerbaijan.
Lezgistan will become a state when the international community becomes
interested in it. Man cannot be free unless his nation is free.
From: A. Papazian
http://www.lragir.am/index/eng/0/comments/view/33012#sthash.JUbniTjD.dpuf