Some of Kazakhstan’s actions, particularly towards Nagorno-Karabakh, really raise many questions. Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Foreign Minister David Babayan said this in an interview with Armenian News-NEWS.am, speaking about the agreement signed—within the framework of the Kazakh president’s visit to Baku—on making Artsakh’s Shushi city, currently occupied by Azerbaijan, and Turkestan sister cities.
“Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan cooperate very closely; moreover, sometimes this cooperation turns into something bigger and quite dangerous. Some steps taken by Kazakhstan, particularly regarding Nagorno-Karabakh, really raise many questions. A vivid example of this is the agreement on Turkestan and Shushi becoming sister cities. But let’s look at the process from another point of view: ideas and principles. There are powerful vectors that try to divert attention from the importance of this component, to show that it is not important, especially at the current stage of the development of international relations, that it is a remnant of the past, to think about ideology and values. In fact, it is not so. The very forces that try to discredit those values are themselves fighting for their own values and against those values that help many peoples to survive. Why Turkestan? What? Are there no other cities in Kazakhstan? Because there is an element of weak power here, pan-Turkism. It’s not exactly like that. Shushi is used as a springboard for the implementation of pan-Turkist ideas, practical implementation, in the event that Shushi should be given some sacred meaning in the Turkic world. It is a fact that everything happens like this. And the fact that they involve Kazakhstan in those processes, and Kazakhstan actually wants to be involved. Aren’t there other spheres of interaction? Shushi should be made a part of the contract? Because it is important to use values here. A very powerful struggle is being waged against our people in this sphere, in the sphere of values. They are trying to undermine our values and self-awareness, and not only in the format of Azerbaijan’s cooperation with other countries, in particular with Kazakhstan, but to go deeper.
According to our information, Turkey and Azerbaijan, along with some fugitive Russian oligarchs, are involved in organizing a painful blow to our values in the Holy Land, in the territory of the Armenian quarter, because the Armenian presence in Jerusalem has a centuries-old history. As if they are building some kind of hotel complexes, but in reality, a purposeful policy is being pursued to capture the most important spiritual center and push the Armenian presence out of there. And all this together once again proves that the most important—if not the only—key basis for the revival of our people is the return to national values, in the basis of which there is no hatred towards anyone, but there is devotion to the people, ideals. There are many forces and poles that work against us. Pan-Turkist elements are necessarily present in their ranks, elements that try to undermine us from within, to break ties with brotherly countries and peoples; this should be well understood. And if we understand it, then we will be able to take appropriate steps,” David Babayan said.