Day.Az interview with member of Azerbaijani parliament and member of Azerbaijani delegation to PACE Ganira Pashayeva.
Day.Az: What are your views about the reports which say that Armenians are destroying Azerbaijan’s 200-year-old Garaji cemetery in Agdam region?
Ganira Pashayeva: Destruction of Azerbaijani Garaji cemetery in Agdam region is a continuation of the very policy of Armenia which led to occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijani territories and the fact that over one million of our brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers have become refugees and internally displaced persons. This once again testifies to a systematic method to destroy everything connected with the culture and history of Azerbaijan which has become Armenia’s state policy.
There are a lot of similar evidence. I personally have seen many videos which show how mosques, cemeteries and facilities of cultural heritage are destroyed in Armenia-occupied Azerbaijani lands.
By its actions Armenia tries to eliminate all evidence about historical origin of Azerbaijan’s lands that it has occupied. Acts of vandalism are usually followed by a "proof" that the area cleaned by Armenians from everything linked with Azerbaijan "historically belonged to the Armenians". Only a country being in the very low level of cultural development can afford so disgusting, inhumane way to prove "reasonableness" of its territorial claims to occupied lands of a neighboring state.
Q: Do you plan to demonstrate another fact of vandalism of Armenia, destruction of the Garaji cemetery in Agdam region in the PACE?
A: Of course. The Azerbaijani delegation to PACE has showed general public and PACE member states evidence of vandalism perpetrated by Armenia in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan on numerous occasions through facts and photos. We intend to continue to show the true face of the Armenian leadership, which pursues a policy of terrorism and vandalism against Azerbaijan.
The fact of destruction of the Garaji cemetery in Agdam region must be brought to the attention of both PACE and leadership of all influential international organizations in an effort to show with whom the international community offers Azerbaijan to negotiate to resolve the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. This matter will also be raised in the OSCE Minsk Group.
Armenians’ acts have extremely negative impact on course of negotiations to settle the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, demonstrating implementation of a truly fascist thesis about genetic incompatibility of Azerbaijanis and Armenians initiated by former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan.
Q: May Armenia face sanctions for numerous acts of vandalism against Azerbaijan?
A: Unfortunately, no sanctions have been imposed on Armenia for multiple acts of vandalism perpetrated by them in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Naturally, seeing their own impunity for crimes already committed, Armenia continues to commit them in even more cynical and cruel manner. In other words, moral responsibility for acts of vandalism by Armenia lies with international organizations which have not yet imposed specific sanctions against the country which considers acts of vandalism to be a norm. At the same time, on our part, we simply must strengthen work to draw attention of world public to numerous facts of Armenian vandalism.
Work of national media, as well as representatives of the Azerbaijani diaspora in different countries worldwide is very important. Representatives of the Azerbaijani diaspora could inform public and the mainstream media of their countries of residence of the true shape of the Armenia state which pursues a policy of terrorism, vandalism and constant territorial claims to all neighboring states. Only by joining efforts and demonstrating core of Armenia’s policy, we can ensure that this country will rightly be associated with vandalism and terrorism in the world.
