Azernews.Az

BAKU – The Armenian president’s historical illiteracy surprises, he does not know that neither Nagorno-Karabakh nor Nakhchivan have ever been part of Armenia, since Armenia did not exist then, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Spokesman Elkhan Polukhov told Trend news agency. He was commenting on Serzh Sargsyan’s interview to the Russian media.

"Speaking of Nakhchivan and Armenians’ disagreement with its being part of Azerbaijan, the Armenian president directly speaks about continuing territorial claims to Azerbaijan," Polukhov noted.

According to Polukhov, it is worth to remind the head of the neighboring country that mass resettlement of the Armenians to the historical lands of Azerbaijan was repeatedly conducted during the 19-20th centuries, and Armenia's current capital was the city of Irevan, largely populated by the Azerbaijanis.

Sargsyan said in an interview that at the dawn of Soviet power, the Caucasian Bureau of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union decided to separate from Armenia its historical Nagorno-Karabakh and Nakhichivan region and transfer these regions to Azerbaijan.

Sargsyan said that at the junction of 1990-1991, Armenia became aware that the internal forces would withdraw from the Nagorno-Karabakh region. "On the eve of the withdrawal of internal troops, we realized that we would stay alone with our problems and turbulent events will come on," he stressed in the interview.

Polukhov said that Sargsyan is clearly "cunning", saying that on the eve of the withdrawal of troops from Nagorno-Karabakh, the Armenians realized that they would be left alone with their problems.

"Exactly he, together with the 366th military regiment, massacred (civilians) in Khojali in February 1992, using the opportunity of Soviet troops by the end. Sargsyan, you can find the confirmation of this fact in the book "Black Garden" by the British journalist de Waal, as well as in memoirs of brother of the Armenian terrorist Monte Melkonian," Polukhov said.

In addition, Sargsyan said the people of Nagorno-Karabakh should decide their own destiny, have every opportunity to safely develop in their homeland and the principle of territorial integrity does not mean the inviolability of borders.

Polukhov said apparently the Armenian president is not familiar with the provisions of international law, which provides a mechanism for self-determination within the territorial integrity of states.

"Giving an interview and saying that this kind of self-determination does not happen and that this variant is truncated and primitive, the Armenian president forgets about the presence of several self-determined autonomous regions in Russia, thereby intentionally wishing to offend the state, whose media interviews him, or continues demonstrating illiteracy," Polukhov underscored.

Sargsyan said the Karabakh problem differs from all problems of the type. "Generally, all these conflicts are distinctive. Each has its own special causes, consequences, and dynamics of development. As a precedent, of course, the appearance of new states in the world has a positive effect on international recognition of the rights of Nagorno-Karabakh people," Sargsyan said.

Polukhov noted the Armenian president seems "illogical" when he sets examples of different territorial conflicts as a positive example to justify the right of the Nagorno-Karabakh people to self-determination on the one hand, and says that all these conflicts are distinctive and unique, on the other.

In reply to question about scale of risks for resumption of battles, Sargsyan said the probability exists, because "I cannot understand why Azerbaijan is delaying the negotiation process". In addition, Sargsyan said Armenia can recognize the independence of the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh in the future, but not today.

"We are negotiating, and the recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh would mean their failure. It is better to negotiate," Sargsyan said.

Commenting on the interview, Polukhov said Sargsyan was shamefully silent about the fact that he was one of those who headed the separatist movement, whose actions led to the appearance of hundreds of thousands of refugees and displaced persons, the conduct of ethnic cleansing, the fact that dozens of towns and villages were wiped out, the monuments of history, culture and religion were destroyed on the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

"Evaluating the interview of the Armenian president, one may suggest that Sargsyan maximally diverts people's attention from the realities and problems, as well as the current catastrophic situation in Armenia, speaking only about the neighbors, history and nothing about today. It is enough to only start withdrawing the occupying forces from Azerbaijani territories in order to reduce military expenditure and create conditions for progress in the region, from which Armenia will firstly benefit and create conditions for improving the welfare of its own population," Polukhov said.