Day.Az interview with member of ruling New Azerbaijan Party Political Council, deputy chairman of Parliamentary Committee for Security and Defense Aydin Mirzazade.
Day.Az: Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan voiced a number of statements at the 12th congress of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (RPA). How do you comment on his words: "I have no reason to vindicate myself. Let those who had a goal to cede Karabakh to vindicate themselves” ?
Aydin Mirzazade: This is another statement by the Armenian president meant solely for domestic audience. The reason for such statements is that Serge Sargsyan feels a strong pressure from various Armenian opposition parties and movements.
His attempts to position himself as a confident politician is not effective, because not only citizens of this country, but also people outside the country is aware of the real state of affairs in Armenia. The Armenian president does not enjoy support of overwhelming majority of the country’s citizens. He took power through blood and falsifications. Now he is trying to "whitewash" himself in front of the West in all possible ways.
Sargsyan’s position is also understandable. Armenia lives in self-imposed isolation because of the occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijani territories that has led to collapse of the country’s economy. These problems are growing very rapidly threatening loss of statehood. But the most interesting and sad for Armenia is that those who criticize President Sargsyan and to whom the Armenian president addressed his statement have no real program to address the problems facing the country.
This most clearly indicates that there is no alternative to liberating Armenian-occupied territories of Azerbaijan as the only possible way out of that terrible crisis whatever statements various political figures in Armenia make.
Q: The Armenian leader said his RPA party has three tasks: to develop Armenia, to normalize Armenia-Turkey ties and resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Do the first two tasks suggest that the Armenian parliament will ratify the protocols?
A: I think Armenia faces a task comparable to looking for squaring the circle. Most likely, Armenia will wait until the Turkish parliament ratifies the protocol. I believe Armenian has already understood that Turkish parliament will not ratify protocols without a just resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The development of Armenia about which Sargsyan so beautifully reasoned will remain only desire and slogan. The Armenian government needs to switch from slogans to concrete steps to fairly resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in order save Armenia from self-imposed isolation.
Q: Do you believe Armenian may take such a step during the next round of talks between Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents?
A: Whatever the Armenian leadership says, return of at least part of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan are already being negotiated at current stage. Furthermore, despite Armenia’s constant unconstructive position, the negotiations have seen some progress. In other words, if Armenia demonstrates a constructive and common sense, the negotiations on a just settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict may bear results soon.
I think that the very reality (deepening economic crisis, regular tension in Armenia’s relations with all its neighbors against backdrop of increasing economic growth and geopolitical influence of Azerbaijan) makes even the most radical ultranationalist forces in Armenia to take a sober view of things.
