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Jafarov and Ozan on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: How to ensure lasting peace

After it was reported late last night that Russian President, Mr Vladimir Putin, announced that a ceasefire agreement had been signed regarding the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, the citizens of Yerevan rebelled against the decision. They broke through a cordon of security forces, smashed the entrances to the government building and entered. Armenia and Azerbaijan have been clashing for years over Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous region in Azerbaijan with a majority Armenian population. The conflict escalated in late September.

Head of the diplomatic mission of Azerbaijan in Montenegro, Mr Mahir Jafarov, and the Ambassador of Turkey to Montenegro, Ms Songül Ozan, in an interview for CdM, were speaking about the conflicts regarding Nagorno-Karabakh, attempts to resolve the issue and find lasting peace.

-Key moments from the interview with Mr Jafarov and Ms Ozan-

CdM: What caused the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict? Who is responsible?

Jafarov: In order to answer your question, I would just like to touch briefly on the history of the conflict. For more than 30 years, about 20% of the territory of Azerbaijan has been under the occupation of Armenia. Armenia, in gross violation of the UN Charter, used military force against Azerbaijan, occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and seven neighboring districts of Azerbaijan. More than a million Azerbaijanis have become refugees and internally displaced persons. In 1993, the UN Security Council adopted four resolutions calling for the urgent, complete and unconditional withdrawal of troops from our territories.

However, these resolutions are just a dead letter. The Minsk Group has been working for 28 years to mediate in finding a solution, but to no avail. As I have already said, the main reason is the position of Armenia. The second reason is that the mediators do not insist and do not put pressure on the implementation of the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council. The Azerbaijani side has raised this issue several times and announced that international sanctions should be imposed against Armenia in order to be forced to fulfill the requirements of the resolutions and start the liberation of our countries. However, there was no appropriate response to that appeal, and what is happening now is the result of Armenia’s destructive policy.

Ozan: From the very beginning, Turkey standed by Azerbaijan and their legal struggle. By ignoring international law, the UN and OSCE resolutions, Armenia does not accept the occupation that has been taking place on Azerbaijani territory for years. Despite the declaration of a humanitarian ceasefire, the attacks of Armenia continued on October 10 and 17, and dozens of Azerbaijani civilians as well as their babies in the arms of their mothers were massacred. Turkey will not remain silent on these horrible atrocities, war crimes and inhumane attacks, and believes that all this must finally STOP. The Azerbaijani forces are using their right to self-defense, arising from the international law, against the aggressive and invasive attitude of Armenia. The Turkish people continue to stand by the Azerbaijanis, giving them all moral support. In the relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey, the motto is “One nation, two states”.

CdM: Do you believe that lasting peace can be reached in this area? How?

Jafarov: The position of Azerbaijan regarding the occupation has not changed from the beginning, it has remained the same. Azerbaijan’s requirements are fully in line with international law. Because the whole world recognizes the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, and no other state recognizes the “Nagorno-Karabakh Republic”. As stated in the UN Security Council resolutions, they must leave our territory, and only after that will the conflict end. That is why we must do everything to stop this conflict as soon as possible, to find a solution as soon as possible.

Ozan: Turkey has been emphasizing for years that a permanent solution to the problem within the framework of international law and the establishment of the territorial integrity of the Azerbaijani territory is possible with the termination of occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh by Armenia. For years, Armenia has been using diplomacy to maintain the occupation of the negotiating table, to ‘armenize’ Karabakh, which is the territory of Azerbaijan, with a population transported from other places, including the Middle East, and to make the occupation permanent.

It ignores international law. Silence about this justifiably disappoints Azerbaijanis. Turkey never leaves Azerbaijan alone, always standing by it in its legal struggle, and on every platform it most loudly advocates for the establishment of peace and an end to the occupation. Turkey does not accept a neutral position on this issue, because Nagorno-Karabakh is the Azerbaijani territory, and all UN resolutions, including international organizations and the community, recognize Armenia as an occupier.

CdM: Do you think that Russia is in some way involved in these conflicts, that is, does it support one of the opposing parties?

Jafarov: Russia, co-presiding over the Minsk Group, of course, has the same rights and powers granted to these three countries by the OSCE. But, of course, Russia, as our neighbor, as a country that has a common history with both Azerbaijan and Armenia, plays a special role. Undoubtedly, this role is based on the history and interaction of our peoples, as well as on the weight and role of Russia in the world and, of course, our region.

Therefore, the possibilities of Russia to influence the resolution of the conflict are incomparably greater than the possibilities of any other country, for these objective reasons.

CdM: Iran has announced that it has a solution for peace in this area. What is the role of Iran when we talk about this conflict?

Ozan: We now know that in a globalizing world, peace, stability and security represent the common issue for all of us. In other words, in the world there is no longer the security of one country, but the common security in the world. Just as the fight against a pandemic or the fight against terrorism must take place with joint global cooperation, all countries in any region of the world should live together in accordance with international law, respecting mutual independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, i.e. adopting a common position within basic principles of the UN.

It’s the only way to ensure lasting peace and security in the world.

 

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