QUESTION: How would you comment the statement concerning the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict made in Azerbaijani President I. Aliyev yesterday’s speech?

ANSWER: Contrary to the statement of the President of Azerbaijan, in fact, Baku has laid the grounds of the military conflict between Azerbaijan and the self-determined Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, rather than that of the settlement.

Baku laid the ground of a genocidal policy, expressed in massacres of the Armenian population of Azerbaijan; policy of ethnic cleansing throughout the regions neighboring Nagorno-Karabakh and in Karabakh itself; unleashing all-out military aggression against the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. The only step by the Azerbaijani side towards the settlement was taken 20 years ago by Heydar Aliyev, who agreed about direct talks with the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. On September 3, 1993, by his signature he delegated the Vice-Speaker of Azerbaijan parliament A. Jalilov “to hold talks over the organization of a meeting of top officials of Azerbaijan and the NKR”.

The very meeting of H. Aliyev and NKR representative that took place on 25th of September, 1993 in Moscow laid the grounds of the signing of Bishkek Protocol and the reaching of an open-ended cease-fire agreement in May 1994 between the NKR and Azerbaijan, to which Armenia also joined.

The current President of Azerbaijan cannot but understand that in the face of his father, Azerbaijan, recognizing the NKR at least as a party to the conflict, contributed to the only tangible progress in negotiation process. It becomes apparent that by infinitely praising his father and actually crossing out his undertakings, the incumbent President of Azerbaijan not only torpedoes the process of settlement of the NK conflict through the OSCE MG mediation, but also lays the foundations of another armed conflict, overtly claiming territories of Armenia.

This all serves one personal goal, i. e. to maintain anti-popular corrupt dictatorial regime through vain attempts to consolidate the Azerbaijani society over racist hatred towards Armenians preached on state level.

The consequences of such bellicose policy are far better known. New adventure in this direction will entail disastrous consequences, primarily for Azerbaijan itself. The Azerbaijani leadership continuing suppressing its own people, has not realized that the power of a state emanates from love expressed towards its own people, rather than hatred towards neighbouring people.