Day.Az interview with member of Security and Defense Committee of Azerbaijani Milli Majlis (Parliament) Zahid Oruj.
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has accepted an invitation to visit the U.S. to participate in Global Nuclear Safety summit to be held in April. What are your comments on this fact?
Simple analysis of recent U.S. actions in our region indicates that the world's superpower wants to withdraw Armenia from Russian influence and strengthen its position in the South Caucasus. Inviting Armenian President to the United States will become just another link in the chain of U.S. actions to achieve this goal. It should be noted that the U.S. position in the South Caucasus region is weakening due to the inactivity of the United States.
A simple monitoring can reveal absence of recent intensive visits by high U.S. officials to our region. The United States makes its best with main emphasis on Armenia. Therefore, the United States initiated the process of normalizing Turkish-Armenian relations and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the U.S. Congress passed a resolution on the so-called "Armenian genocide".
In the meantime, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says adoption of a resolution on the so-called "Armenian genocide" by the Committee on Foreign Relations was a mistake. Earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during a visit to Guatemala also said that the U.S. Congress will not consider a resolution on "Armenian genocide". In your opinion, are these statements consistent with the latest U.S. actions in relation to Armenia?
As you remember, Turkey and Azerbaijan have warned the U.S. that it is a wrong move to bring resolution on so-called "Armenian genocide" to the agenda of the Committee on Foreign Relations. Both Turkey and Azerbaijan have stated that the adoption of such a resolution would severely damage the U.S. position in our countries casting doubt on objectivity of this superpower. Despite this, the Committee on Foreign Relations adopted a resolution on the so-called "Armenian genocide".
This decision is dangerous and it opens opportunity for both the U.S. and a number of other countries to pass all kinds of resolutions aimed at putting pressure on Turkey. The move by the Swedish parliament to recognize the “Armenian genocide” is an example.
After analyzing Turkey and Azerbaijan’s reaction to such steps, the U.S. leaders are beginning to realize implications this negative move and attempts to exert pressure on Turkey have for position of the United States in our region.
Are the U.S. actions based solely on geopolitics?
I don't think so. The fact is that certain circles in the United States openly hinted that both Turkey and Azerbaijan also spent their money to create own lobby in the face of Representatives and other structures that are important in the American political hierarchy. Thus, the theme of so-called "Armenian genocide" is becoming some sort of trade-off as any product on shelves of American hypermarkets.
How do you see future of Turkish-Armenian reconciliation and settlement of Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?
Turkey has every reason to refuse further steps to normalize relations with Armenia. In particular, after the scandalous decision by the Constitutional Court of Armenia, who made reservation to the protocols contradicting letter and spirit of the accords, it became clear that Armenia does not cease to pursue an immoral policy ignoring its own commitments. Under these conditions, Turkey may refuse to ratify the Turkish-Armenian protocols and to show the world that the policy of pressure and blackmail against Turkey will not work and that such steps cannot make Turkey to open land border with Armenia ignoring interests of friendly Azerbaijan.
In other words, it became clear for the whole world that the process of normalizing Turkish-Armenian relations can only run in parallel with the process of settling the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Consequently, the fate of these processes depends entirely on willingness and ability of the U.S. to exert pressure on Armenia on both these issues. I believe that the U.S. will put pressure on Armenia, because it suits geopolitical interests of the U.S. in our region that are not implemented solely because of Armenia.
