Situation is tense in Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenians not want to live there: Azerbaijan’s permanent representative to Council of Europe

Day.Az: The Council of Europe reaction to the post-election events in Armenia which claimed several lives demonstrated inadequacy of Strasburg’s attitude to separate member states. Do you see any political element in this? Can the Council of Europe resort to sanctions against the Armenian delegation?

Arif Mammadov: Armenians almost faced difficult situation for the  two recent PACE sessions. The Armenian delegation in PACE could be deprived of a mandate which is an extreme measure. The MPs were quite tough at the session and demanded Armenia to fulfill commitments.

At the same time, I would not say that here it is a notorious “double standard.” No international organization wants to resort to drastic measures. Armenia has received a rather harsh warning as a red card, which it has been getting for quite a long time since the election. It would be wrong to expect PACE’s deprivation of Armenian delegation of the mandate especially at a time when the organization is not experiencing the best of times in its development. Neither the Council of Europe nor the political factions want to resort to this measure.

There is also factor of lobbying involved here. Armenians did not sit idly and they understand what this warning means.

In other words, Armenia received a warning, but it is provides an opportunity to rectify the situation.

Q: Even some member of the Armenian delegation also favor sanctions against Armenia…

A: Of course, perhaps some would like to see a different situation including some members of the Armenian delegation. I mean members of the delegation from the opposition who strongly criticized the government of their country.

At the last session, Azerbaijani MP Gultakin Hajiyeva signed (by the way I believe she was right) the document  circulated by an Armenian parliamentarian which rigidly criticized the current Armenian government. This suggests that there is constant pressure. But again, the CE does not back extreme measures at least so far. Armenians are aware that sword of Damocles hangs over them and try to solve existing problems.

In any case, these problems are indicated in many documents and it is difficult for Armenia to talk about any democratic transformations.

Q: As to the issue of cooperation between Azerbaijanis and Armenians within the international organizations, did you encounter cases when Armenians, whether parliamentarians or diplomats, adequately assessed the situation in the region and was sympathetic to Baku’s stance on  the Nagorno-Karabakh?

A: I have to many times happened to communicate with MPs and diplomats from Armenia. I must admit that many of them also realize the need for the liberation of the occupied territories, because the current situation does not benefit Armenia at all.

The situation is tense in Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenians do not want to live there. Sensible people wish stability for themselves and their children which this is natural. Nagorno-Karabakh is now a dead zone. Despite some promises, some grants, people are reluctant to go there, even with financial encouragement from the diaspora. Nobody wants to put his life in danger. Therefore, the conflict has brought nothing good to Armenia and adequate politicians and representatives of the public understand that it is much better to have peace with a neighbor. The recent mutual visits of intellectuals of both countries to Baku, Yerevan and Nagorno Karabakh again shows that the Armenian society understanding the real situation.

There are a lot of people from Azerbaijan in Armenia and they are also part of society. It lives with nostalgia about the old good-neighborly relations, which also plays a role. Visits by intellectuals show that there is an opportunity to address the problem. Of course, this conflict should be resolved within territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and Azerbaijani citizens of Armenian origin must understand this. Life shows that to be within Azerbaijan means is to develop on an equal footing with other citizens, Azerbaijani society, which, perhaps, is an example for the entire region.

Q: Azerbaijan has circulated a large number of documents in the PACE and most of them directly or indirectly relates to the Karabakh conflict. How effective are these documents? Does the Council of Europe has a reliable mechanism to implement them?

A: The Council of Europe does not have reliable mechanisms of pressure on this issue and the organization is not directly involved in the conflict. It keeps the matter on the agenda. Of course, the distribution of documents is very important. But it is not worth to expect much effect from this. Yes, Armenians are nervous because Azerbaijani MPs are active collecting signatures.

At the same time, I think the CE would be more important in post-conflict period when there will be a need to restore all links to work with civil society. During this period, the best weapon to deal with differences is democratic institutions.

The development of our society allows to believe that the Armenian community of Karabakh is aware that it is better to live in peace with its neighbors as it was before when we shared a lot in common. Today, Azerbaijan has great possibilities and the Armenians could get huge dividends from the presence in Azerbaijan and could have the opportunity to develop like Azerbaijani society and state rather to spend huge money on the armed forces in Karabakh.

/Day.Az/