ArmInfo. Editor of the Azerbaijani Turan news agency Shahin Hajiyev, who recently returned from Armenia, summed up his visit to Armenia, expressing his assumptions about the attitude of the Armenian population to the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement in an interview with BBC News Az?rbaycanca.
Thus, Hajiyev believes that the population of Armenia in the Karabakh issue adheres to the position of the state and does not intend to make any concessions. He also informed that he had been in Armenia for the last time about 20 years ago and is confident that the situation has changed dramatically since then. "The population of Armenia has little interest in politics. If the conversation is about conflict, then they accept the state's position on this issue:" Karabakh is ours and we will not return it to anyone. "20 years ago the situation was completely different. Then the conflict only ended; there were some excitements and expectations. Now the new generation in Armenia believes that everything has already been determined, people like in another world. Another change is related to the fact that the society does not want to discuss peaceful ways to resolve the conflict, as it was 20 years ago. . They believe that Armenia will not make concessions and should not go to them. Armenians believe that this is a resolved issue and Azerbaijan will not be able to change anything, " Hajiyev said.
He also found it difficult to draw parallels between the societies of the two countries, noting that in Armenia they consider themselves victorious in this war, while Azerbaijan, in this war, lost territory and considers the Armenian side to be the aggressor. Hajiyev is convinced that radicalism is manifested in this issue in Armenian society. "For example, after I returned from Armenia, over 20 journalists approached me and wanted to interview. One of them wrote to me:" We read what you wrote and were very surprised. "He said he was surprised that it is possible to speak with Azerbaijani in a human way. The authorities speak diplomatically enough, they either didn't have a radical position or they didn't voice it, but their position on the Karabakh issue is also principled. That what I say refers to members of the public. Ordinary people believe that concessions in the Karabakh issue are out of the question. A few months ago, the former US Ambassador, completing his diplomatic mission in Armenia, expressed surprise at the categorical position of the Armenian society: "They don't want to liberate the areas around Karabakh even in return for their independence." Ambassador's this statement caused a scandal in Armenia: "Like, look what America offers us." This is what radicalism is. If someone voices a different opinion, he is immediately denounced as a traitor. One of my interlocutors said that compromise on both sides is needed to resolve the conflict. So he was called a traitor and forced to clarify his words, " Hajiyev said.
Responding to a question about the possibilities of preparing peoples for peace, as stated earlier, Hajiyev expressed his conviction that this would be extremely difficult to do, since the parties do not have trust in each other. The Turan editor also believes that the civil society on which this mission is entrusted is in a deplorable state. "The slogans do not build trust. There should be communication between the parties, people should meet and discuss the problem. If they see only propaganda, then what kind of peace preparation can we talk about? If there was a solution, the negotiations would not last 25-30 years. We are at an impasse, " Hajiyev said.