Azernews.Az

The Azerbaijani and Armenian ambassadors to Russia, Polad Bulbuloghlu and Armen Smbatian, jointly visited, along with the head of Russia`s Federal Agency on Culture and Cinematography, Mikhail Shvydkoy, Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh, an Azerbaijani region under Armenian occupation.
The diplomats crossed to the Armenia-occupied territories through Shikharkh village in Azerbaijan`s northwestern Terter district, Armenian media reported.
The Azerbaijani delegation accompanying Bulbuloghlu on his visit included two parliament members Asim Mollazada and Rovshan Rzayev, as well as composer Siyavush Karimi.
During their visit to Khankandi, the center of the breakaway republic, the ambassadors met with Bako Saakian, the leader of the self-proclaimed Upper Garabagh republic. Armenia`s Tert.am news website quoted the separatist leader as saying he welcomed the visit and describing it as "public diplomacy."
The Azerbaijani ambassador made clear after the meeting that the visit to Garabagh was not meant to be a substitute for talks between Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sarkisian. Rather, it would speed a rapprochement between the two nations that have lived side by side for many years.
Mollazada, an opposition-leaning lawmaker, said "any bad peace is better than war." He emphasized that his visit to Khankandi proved that not only the Azerbaijani ruling party, but also the country`s opposition, is interested in reaching peace.
On the same day, the Azerbaijani representatives left Upper Garabagh for Yerevan where they met with Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian. According to Tert.am, Bulbuloghlu told a news briefing after the discussions that the talks had been constructive.
"Our meeting with Sarkisian was quite constructive. It is really good that he approached our proposal and initiative with a great deal of attention, comprehensively and commendably," Bulbuloghlu said.
Mikhail Shvidkoy, who also took part in the meeting, confirmed Bulbuloghlu`s statement made in Garabagh on Friday. "If Armenians and Azeris are able to coexist, work and do business together while in a foreign land, why shouldn`t this happen in Garabagh?"
The Armenian ambassador, Armen Smbatian, said the mission had only cultural and peacemaking goals and had no bearing on political or military talks.
"No one has cancelled the neighborhood institute yet," he said. "We may or may not accept each other, but we have to forge ties anyway. And men of culture from both communities and other influential representatives could play a great role in creating a reliable environment."
On the same day, the group of the two countries` intellectuals arrived from Yerevan in Baku where they met with President Ilham Aliyev. The Armenian representatives included editor of the Arovot newspaper; director of the Mediamax news agency; a reporter of the Novoye Vremya (New Time) newspaper; lawmakers; a football player; the directors of a museum and a public organization; a medical worker from Upper Garabagh.
During the meeting, President Aliyev reaffirmed Baku`s intransigent stance, saying the conflict with Armenia must be settled strictly within the territorial integrity and inviolability of Azerbaijan`s borders, while granting Upper Garabagh the status of high autonomy.
A group of Azerbaijani and Armenian intellectuals visited Khankandi and the two countries` capitals for the first time in June 2007.
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov considers intelligentsia`s visit to Garabagh as necessary.
"Upper Garabagh is Azerbaijani land. But representatives of the Armenian community living there are Azerbaijani citizens. We must prove during meetings that, in case of the return of lands to Azerbaijan, they will live better…I think that these initiatives are necessary and must continue," Mammadyarov told the press in Azerbaijan`s northwestern city of Ganja on Monday.
The self-proclaimed republic operating in Upper Garabagh has welcomed the visit to the Armenia-occupied region.
The separatist regime`s "foreign ministry" said in a statement that the visit meets its interests.
"This visit is particularly commendable for the reason that Azerbaijani representatives are working with this state again," it maintained. "At the same time, such visits create good conditions for the recognition of the Upper Garabagh Republic on the international scale."
Garabagh Armenians claimed further that the route of the visit and the make-up of the Azerbaijani delegation had been altered upon their demand.
"The route of the visit and who will be visiting had been agreed beforehand. Upon the demand of the Garabagh side, parliament member Havva Mammadova and Chingiz Ismayilov, known for their anti-Armenian statements, were excluded from the delegation," the statement alleged.
Also, the self-proclaimed entity interpreted the Azerbaijani delegation`s visit as Baku`s attempt to negotiate directly with itself, without mediators.
MP Asim Mollazada is unaware that the make-up of the delegation had been changed. The lawmaker said further that he had heard disagreement with the visit route from Armenians, who protested at the delegation`s traveling to Khankandi from Azerbaijan. However, the issue was later resolved, and the representatives entered there from the Terter district.
In the meantime, Azerbaijan`s hard-line Garabagh Liberation Organization (GLO) condemned the visit to the occupied land.
"Another visit by Azerbaijani intellectuals to the occupied territories serves to legitimize the self-styled regime in these territories and grant Upper Garabagh to Armenia forever," it claimed in a statement.
The GLO believes that the visit was made at Moscow`s behest.
"Russia is trying to show, by organizing this visit, that settlement of the conflict is strictly under its control… Russia is using Azerbaijani diplomats and intellectuals as puppets on this issue. It is disappointing that they are creating conditions for being used. Azerbaijani authorities are confining themselves to observing the process from the outside, as idle observers," the group alleged.
The GLO warned it would launch protests to counter what it called an anti-national policy, while calling on the political and public forces in the country to join efforts in this regard.
Upper Garabagh has been occupied by Armenia since a 1994 cease-fire ended separatist hostilities that killed an estimated 30,000 people and ousted about one million Azerbaijanis from their homes. Armenia continues to occupy Upper Garabagh and seven other Azerbaijani districts in defiance of international law. Years of peace talks have resulted in few tangible results.

Another meeting
Azerbaijani and Armenian intellectuals are expected to hold their next meeting in Moscow on July 20. The joint delegation is expected to be broader this time, Azerbaijani political analyst Rasim Musabayov, who will take part in the upcoming meeting, has told Radio Liberty.
Musabayov reminded that Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sarkisian are due to hold a meeting July 17-18 to discuss settlement to the Garabagh conflict. "In support of the peace process, intellectuals representing both sides will meet afterwards."
Elkhan Polukhov, the spokesman for the Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry, has confirmed Baku`s intent to hold another meeting of the two countries` intellectuals.