“There is one condition for them to live comfortably on an area of 29,000 square kilometers – Armenia must accept our conditions, officially recognize Karabakh as the territory of Azerbaijan, sign a peace treaty with us and carry out delimitation work according to our conditions. Only under these circumstances can they live comfortably on an area of 29,000 square kilometers, which is all they want now. If Armenia does not recognize our territorial integrity, we will not recognize their territorial integrity either. Armenia and the hypocritical countries behind it should know what the result will be. They should know that no dirty plan against us will work. We have power, we have friends, we have a strong position in the world and we have a strong determination”.
It’s not a threat. It’s an honest enough warning and an extremely honest conversation. That’s what President Ilham Aliyev said on March 18 in his address to the Azerbaijani people on the occasion of Novruz holiday from the village of Talish of Tartar region.
We are talking about peace, but for some reason you are constantly meddling in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan. How will it end? Obviously, you will not like it in the end, “it will be like last time”.
We advise you to listen to the words of the President of Azerbaijan. You were told in 2020, “Karabakh is Azerbaijan!”, but you did not understand, we had to show you who the boss in Karabakh. You have greatly decreased in number, and your demographic prospects are not good at all: according to Armine Hovhannisyan, head of the expert committee on population growth of the “The Future Armenian” development foundation and head of the charity Orran, there is a serious task to ensure the growth of the Armenian population, because 1 million people can emigrate from Armenia by 2050. Well, here our editorial board expresses its full solidarity with the hero of the movie “The dawns here are quiet”: I don’t mind.
The Final Act of the CSCE (yes, in Helsinki) enshrined 10 fundamental principles, one of which is not only the inviolability of borders and territorial integrity, but also what is called the “non-use of force. And “non-use of force” is not about you, my neighbors. It was you who organized ethnic cleansing both in Armenia and in Karabakh. By the way, we have absolutely nothing against another principle from the same CSCE act: equal rights and the right of peoples to control their own destiny. A full right. The Armenians living in Azerbaijan have the full right to control their own destiny. To dispose of it in Armenia. But, of course, first we need to discuss the issue of Zangazur and the Azerbaijanis expelled from there, otherwise we get a great injustice, and this is unacceptable.
And Armenia should be perceived not only as an opponent. It is not only an enemy; it is more of a factor in the game. A factor that must be understood and used. Never discarding, never discounting the fact that our neighbors may want revenge. The fact that our neighbors today have more than just geopolitical thrashing is playing on our side: “Europe will take us to the EU one day, Russia won’t leave us because it has nowhere to go from Armenia, and Iran will definitely help”, they have a slogan “down with critical thinking”.
And don’t hope to leave the stage with Shakespearean tragedy. You run the risk of walking away to the loud laughter of others, to what they call offensive giggles. Like your Monte, seemingly threatening to go as far as Baku, but on the way completely lost his head. So do not bring it to the continuation of the tale: ” Gingerbread Man, Gingerbread Man, I’ll punish you again.
Neighborly suggestion, get smart. Stupidity in these times, and in your situation – a thing of great expense: both demographically and financially. If you’re not smart, at least make friends with your instinct for self-preservation. You’re being pitied, aren’t you?
Samit Aliyev
Caliber.Az
