Sunday, November 8 2020 11:30

ArmInfo.War has always been Azerbaijan's goal. And why was the war sought by Azerbaijan, because it was not prepared for finding a compromise-based solution  to the Karabakh issue, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated in an  interview to the German ARD TV channel. 

According to the Armenia's PM, compromise means you have to step back  from your maximalist objectives.  Azerbaijan's not being ready to  compromise was vividly evidenced in 2011. ''I mean the Kazan process,  when in fact a document was tabled by which the Armenian side agreed  to hand over 5 regions in exchange for Nagorno-Karabakh receiving an  interim status, which might be determined later through a referendum  or a plebiscite.

And this was a significant concession from the Armenian side, because  it contained some uncertainty for the security of the Armenians  living in Nagorno-Karabakh. But the Armenian side took that step, the  document had already been negotiated, and it was ready for signing,  but at the last moment Azerbaijan refused to sign the document.

And this is not just a separate episode, but a methodology, a modus  operandi for Azerbaijan, because what appears to be acceptable for  Armenia and Karabakh following the logic of compromise turns out to  be unacceptable for Azerbaijan, which toughens its position. This has  always been the case with Azerbaijan.  Azerbaijan has always been  prepared to resolve the Karabakh issue through military means.

A provocation took place on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border in July,  2020, which led Azerbaijan to realize that its armed forces were  incapable of resolving the Karabakh issue, and consequently it had to  turn to mercenaries and terrorists for assistance.

And what happened next? In August, mercenaries, terrorists, a large  number of Turkish military equipment, specialists and soldiers moved  from the Syrian territories under Turkish control to Azerbaijan,  where they launched a joint offensive on Nagorno-Karabakh'',  Pashinyan noted. 

Answering the question how he can explain his statement that  "Karabakh is Armenia," the PM noted that it has to do with the  background of the Karabakh issue 

''Unfortunately, at some point the international community lost track  of the Karabakh issue. Meanwhile, at the time when the Karabakh issue  emerged, it was seen as a manifestation of Soviet Union's  democratization in Europe and around the world, which ultimately led  to the collapse of the Berlin Wall.

The Karabakh issue arose in 1988, when Gorbachev undertook to rebuild  and democratize the Soviet Union.  And the Armenians of Karabakh, who  have always been more than 80% of the population in Nagorno-  Karabakh, decided to benefit from the opportunity provided by the  ongoing democratization process to restore their violated rights  through a completely peaceful political struggle.

What rights do I mean? In the 1920s, with an 80 percent of Armenian  population, Nagorno-Karabakh was handed over to Soviet Azerbaijan  instead of Soviet Armenia. In 1988, the Supreme Council of the  Nagorno- Karabakh Autonomous Region decided to reunite with Soviet  Armenia, which was its legitimate right. A similar decision was  adopted by the Supreme Council of Armenia. The Soviet Union and  Azerbaijan responded with violence to these absolutely peaceful  political decisions, first by organizing massacres of Armenians in  Sumgait and then in Baku.

Now about whether Nagorno-Karabakh is Armenia. Armenia means a  country where Armenians live, a country of Armenians. Those who have  ever been to Nagorno-Karabakh have seen Armenian churches dating back  to the 5th century and later. The first Armenian school was opened in  Nagorno-Karabakh; 80% of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh has  always been Armenian. You say "provocation...," but the point is that  Azerbaijan has always considered a "provocation" the fact there are  Armenians living in Nagorno- Karabakh, which made it resort to  aggressive actions, shell civilian settlements. In fact, they are  fighting against that "provocation."

In general, let me tell you that the existence of Armenians itself is  considered a "provocation" by some countries, including Turkey where  - in the Ottoman Empire - the Armenian Genocide was perpetrated in  1915 and vast areas were evicted of Armenians through genocide.

My assessment is that Turkey has returned to the South Caucasus 100  years later to complete that criminal plan. I do not consider it a  manifestation of anti-Armenian sentiments; it is just the  continuation of Turkey's expansionary, imperialistic policy, because  the Armenians in the South Caucasus are the last obstacle on their  way to expanding towards the north, to the east, and to the  south-east.

I see this in the context of the policy that Turkey is pursuing in  the Mediterranean, in Syria, Iraq, Greece and Cyprus, as well as in  the context of those Turkey-backed acts of terrorism we can today  witness in Europe'', Pashinyan said.