Azerbaijan’s aggression and hate against Armenians only strengthens the conviction that Nagorno-Karabakh has no future as part of Azerbaijan, RA President Serzh Sargsyan stated the House of Representatives of Cyprus, January 17. Made part of Azerbaijan by the totalitarian regime, the Nagorno-Karabakh people could never put up with that status, the Armenian leader said.
The Nagorno-Karabakh people saw the fate of the Armenians in another territory, Nakhichevan, which was made part of Azerbaijan as well. Unable to endure Baku’s pressure, they had to leave the territory they had inhabited for thousands of years. It was no coincidence that, throughout the Soviet period, especially amid the liberation processes, the Nagorno-Karabakh people regularly raised the issue of its independence. In 1991, the people confirmed its will by means of referendum, which was held in full conformity with the Soviet laws, said President Serzh Sargsyan.
By means of overt ethnic cleansing and military aggression, Azerbaijan tried to stifle Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence. After losing the war it itself had unleashed, Azerbaijan had to sign a trilateral agreement on ceasefire with Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh in 1994. Unfortunately, Azerbaijan has been using that unique chance of peaceful co-existence and development of the peoples of the region for the purpose of preparing a new military aggression.
The hostile anti-Armenian propaganda in Azerbaijan, which is spread by the country’s authorities, distortion of historical facts and provocation of arms race prove that Baku is not ready for peace. The Azerbaijani President even claims that Azerbaijan “gifted” the greater part of Armenia’s territory to Armenia, and Yerevan is an Azeri city, the Armenian President said. He expressed the confidence that Cyprus had to deal with similar distortion of historical facts as well.
Azerbaijan has no legal, political or moral rights to Nagorno-Karabakh. The Armenian side is determined to settle the conflict in a peaceful way, but if Azerbaijan seeks adventures, the Armenian side will give a decisive response. The Armenian leader stated with regret that, in the South Caucasus, a vulnerable region, some countries, pursuing their energy interests, are implementing a short-sighted policy, which does not at all contribute to regional peace and stability. Moreover, it is logical that the economic interests in question will first of all be affected in case the regional balance is disturbed, said the Armenian leader.