Azeri letter to UN: Baku lays its fault at Armenia’s door
July 2, 2011 – 19:07 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net – Ambassador Agshin Mehdiyev, Permanent Representative
of Azerbaijan to the UN, has submitted neither more nor less than a
10-page letter to the UN Secretary-General and the Security Council.
In his letter, Mehdiev attempted to shift Azerbaijan’s fault for
permanent ceasefire violations on Armenia and Karabakh. However,
Mehdiyev failed to mention that it’s Azeri military units that
permanently violate ceasefire, leaving soldiers and peaceful
inhabitants dead and injured. For example, over the last week, about
200 instances of ceasefire violation by the Azerbaijani armed forces
were reported, with 900 shots fired.
Moreover, it’s no secret who the Deauville statement of OSCE MG
co-chairs on unacceptability of the use of force was addressed to,
warning that the international community will strictly condemn any use
of force.
Azeri representative is also accusing Armenia of ”having the sole
purpose of misleading the international community” of the main issue.
One may infer the main issue to be a Karabakh conflict settlement,
with Azeri authorities taking every effort to prevent it, lest they
might lose their authority. A failure of Kazan meeting was an
illustration of Azerbaijan’s stalling for time. While many structures
and organisations predicted a conclusive document to be signed at the
meeting, Baku advanced a dozen of new suggestions reducing urges and
demands of superpowers to nothing.
Another subject of complaint in Mehdiyev’s letter was that of
”Karabakh being a historic part of Azerbaijan.” ”From ancient times
up to now, Karabakh was an inalienable part of Azerbaijan,” the
letter says, bearing no mention of the fact that after the collapse of
the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan announced itself as a legal successor to
Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, but not to Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist
Republic.
Specifically, Article 2 of Constitutional Act of Azerbaijan Republic
on independent statehood of Azerbaijan Republic says, `Azerbaijan
Republic is a legal successor of the Azerbaijan Republic dating back
to the period of May 28,1918 – April 28, 1920.’ Nagorno Karabakh, with
94% of Armenian population, by the decision of the Caucasus Bureau was
included in Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic in a capacity of
autonomy in 1921. Which means Karabakh has no bearing on modern
Azerbaijan.
Thus, Mehdiyev’s letter to UN suggests official Baku’s continued
attempts to misinform both Azerbaijani people and the international
community, so as to disallow a rapid settlement of Karabakh issue,
which brings Azeri authorities some certainty of future. However it’s
harldy likely for Azerbaijan to keep misleadign the international
community without having to bear the consequences.