Former Foreign Minister Tofiq Zulfugarov gave an interview to Axar.az. Here is the full translation of the interview.
Mr. Zulfugarov, Armenia calls the delimitation towards Kazakh successful and wants the entire delimitation process to be based on the 1976 map. Why do you think that is?
Because the territory of Armenia tripled after Sovietization. They want to keep these territories completely, and therefore they strive for the entire border to be delimited according to the 1976 map.
They often emphasize that the basis for this is the Almaty Declaration.
There is nothing in the Almaty Declaration about maps and country borders.
Do you think the border delimitation will continue according to the 1976 map?
Absolutely not! The official position of Azerbaijan is clear. This process is mainly related to four villages. Because this part of the border (Kazakh-Tavush border) has not changed since 1920. If we take the principle of the Almaty Declaration, logically it turns out that the borders should be based on those that were in place on the first day of the Soviet period. The Soviet period in Azerbaijan began in April 1920. Armenia, however, was occupied by Russia in November. That is, the issue of delimitation principles for other parts of the border remains open. Currently, approximately 1% of the border has been determined.
Zangazur and Goycha were transferred during the Soviet period. And the people’s opinion was not asked, no referendum was held.
Zangazur was transferred to Armenia on November 30, 1920, Goycha was taken from us in 1922, and Mehri in 1929. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, an illogical situation arose. It consists of the fact that the territory of Azerbaijan was artificially divided into two parts – we are talking about the main territory of Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan. Azerbaijan is raising this issue.
The second point is that the largest freshwater basin in the South Caucasus is Lake Goycha, and rivers flowing from Azerbaijan also participate in maintaining its level, for example, Arpachay (a canal was drawn from Arpachay to Lake Goycha). In Soviet times, the Azerbaijan-Armenia border passed through the middle of Lake Goycha. Now we logically raise this question: in Soviet times, we were one country, and the approach was different. Now we are independent states, so let’s examine this issue.
So the 1976 map cannot be the basis for the entire border!
Absolutely correct. Zangazur was transferred to Armenia by the Soviets without a referendum, in violation of the constitution. This “gift” was given by the occupying administration, and there was no will of the Azerbaijani people. Similarly, Goycha was also transferred in the same manner. Therefore, we are raising this issue: why should we abandon our ancestral lands?
Mr. Zulfugarov, the de facto independence of Azerbaijan and Armenia was recognized at the Paris Peace Conference on January 11, 1920, and maps were presented. These maps are now stored in France. Can these maps be brought up for discussion?
I think this is a somewhat different issue and complicates the process. But it is possible to continue with the Almaty Declaration, which also simplifies the matter. Because Azerbaijan has already agreed to the principles of the Almaty Declaration. In fact, agreeing to the principles of the Almaty Declaration means that we logically accept the borders of the Soviet period. Some think that accepting the start of the process with the Almaty Declaration means our abandonment of Zangazur and Goycha. However, this is absolutely not the case. If we accept the borders of the Soviet period, this could be the 1920 map. Because, as I said, there is nothing in the Almaty Declaration about the borders and maps of countries. It should be especially noted: our official position is that different parts of the borders can be delimited and demarcated based on maps from different years. The border with Kazakh was delimited according to the 1976 map for the reason mentioned. But for other territories, completely different maps should and will be used as a basis.
