BAKU (APA)—In what can be considered the most revealing announcement to date on the details of the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, Azeri President Ilham Aliyev over the weekend said that consensus has been reached among the parties to begin the withdrawal from the liberated territories surrounding the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.
Aliyev, who was speaking to the subject in an interview with Russian State Television, also signaled that Karabakh would effectively be cut off from Armenia, adding that these principles have been agreed upon without any discussion on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh.
“The point is that we understand the concerns of those living in Nagorno-Karabakh that after the return of all seven occupied regions of Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh will again be cut off geographically from Armenia because Nagorno Karabakh never has had links with Armenia,” said Aliyev.
“The proposals which we are discussing today and which we accept and agree on do not include the question of status. If this is brought up again as a precondition for coordination of positions, we will not achieve anything,” added Aliyev. “We certainly do not see any possibility of the existence of Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent state.”
Aliyev also insisted that Karabakh should revert back to its Soviet status of being an “Autonomous Oblast.”
The Azeri president explained that under that status, the governing structure of Karabakh was a body comprised of an Azeri representative from Shoushi, which he claimed was populated by 90 percent Azeris. In his view, under the peace agreement, Shoushi should be populated again by a majority Azeri population.
“After Azeris return to Shoushi and Nagorno-Karabakh, we will naturally discuss the question of the status in the future. Of course, Nagorno Karabakh should have some kind of status. We understand this. But, we do not see this status outside the sovereign Azeri State. I think that the process of negotiations could be more constructive after the liberation of the occupied territories,” emphasized Aliyev.
“The question is the phased withdrawal of Armenian forces from occupied territories outside Nagorno-Karabakh is the first stage. Immediately after the signing of agreements, troops are slated to be withdrawn from five regions,” explained Aliyev adding that the withdrawal of forces from two regions—Kelbajar and Lachin—would take place five years after the initial pull back “given those regions’ geographic position.”
He explained the withdrawal from the liberated territories is reflected in all OSCE Minsk Group proposals and only after the complete withdrawal can there be discussion of a status for Karabakh.
“It may take a year, maybe ten years, maybe 100 years or it will never be possible. Time will tell,” said Aliyev about the time it would take to determine the status of Karabakh.
It might take 100 years to determine the status of Kharabakh? By then we will have the Azeries outnumber the Armenians 10 TO 1 and Kharabakh will never be independant. It looks like the Armenian side have made all these concesions and what did they get in return? A big ZERO. And it looks like Mr Sarkissian is happy about this. He certainly looks happy with a big smile.
No Armenian government can survive a deal such as described. Aliev is just blustering. Preparing and shoring up his position. Why should we give up anything? Georgia and Iran are the outlets we need to the world. Soon enough Russia will change the maps to give them access to the Turkish border. We don’t want the border opened. WE WOULD BE OVERWHELMED by Turks, Kurds and cheap Turkish and Syrian products. If you think that the Turks will let Armenians and Armenian goods cross the border willy nilly and do and go whereever they want you just don’t understand Turkish mindset. There will allways be restrictions, legal, social, religious, political, and economical. We need to make some demands of our own. 1. Removal of all restrictions against Armenians and Armenian institutions. 2. Return and or compensation for all church and institutional properties confiscated. Resettlement assistance to all Armrnians or descendants of Western Armenians wishing to relocate. All remaining unclaimed property if vacant , is to be deeded to the Armenian Churches (Catholic, Ortodox and Protestant). Settled properties,except those of historic and national immportance, should be compensated at either the original value or the present value, which ever is higher should be paid to either the present occupant or the proper church. 3. The Turkish government, should compensate equally all victims, Christian, Moslem, Yezidi or Jewish. If there were Armenian retaliations, and dammage to life limb and property, than the Turkish government should compensate the descendants of those victims in an equal and fair manner, using the same method of of calculation. Why, because the Turkish state was responsible for the safety of all its citizens, and allowing the area to fall into anarchy, wheather or not instigated by the State.
Aliev can say whatever he wants. Facts on the ground suggest that Artsakh will maintain it’s fortifications and the status quo will continue.
With that said, Sargsyan better come out with a strong rebuke of Aliev’s statements.
His silence on the matter does not instill confidence.
Aliyev must be daydreaming. He has forgotten to take his halloperidol.
If this is true, if all the facts are in, all I have to say is….WHAT ARE THEY THINKING? I try to stay politically neutral and not link myself to one party or another, but if withdrawal is going to take place with these circumstances then everything people fought for will be in vain. I generally admire Pres. Sarkisian, but have to question this curious move.
The USA was founded on the principle of self determination. If the principleof territorial integrity had been imposed, the inhabitants of North America would still be British. Is this logic what the US and other countries want to impose on Armenia and Karabahgh, just because Azerbaijan has oil and gas?
The freedom of Mountainous Karabagh, like that of the US of America, was won with blood. I dont think a solution giving up that freedom is possible, without the shedding of more blood. I do hope that Alyevs words, do not represent more than his own wishful thinking, and do not have the strenghth of the US, Russia s and France s positions behind them.
I don’t think such a deal can ever happen . It’s a bluff . That’s all …
This is sheer nonsense. After all the blood Armenians spilled liberating Artsakh, it is unconceivable there is a single Armenian willing to surrender to the Azerbaijani Turks a single square mile of that hardly won ancestral land. Shame on the Armenians who agree to this, since they have not only betrayed Shahe Meghrian, Monte Melkonian, and the thousands who died in order to liberate the turkish-occupied Armenian homeland, but they have also endangered the very survival of the Armenian nation.
OH MY DEAR LORD.. !!
If this is true.. if Aliyev thinks we are going to give the lands that our fathers, brothers, husbands faught with their own blood, sweat and lives.. HE IS ON CRACK… and hope that our President is not giving in to this ridiculeous and outrageous agreement.. NO WAY.. he can agree to this.. NO WAY.. he has no right.. he can’t step on all the dreams, tears, and horrible nights that every woman, children and elderly stayed up worrying about their loved one who were fighting for its independence..
Mr. Sarkissian you MUST not allow this.. this will consititue to be a white Genocide if you agree with those devils.. Hope you understand that you are giving away the blood soaked land that your own soldiers faught for on a silver platter to the devil himself?. I hope you come to your senses…and soon before our own country is given away or sold to everyone else…
BUT for some reason, i have this bad feeling that Sarkissian will give in and if that is true.. it will kill every Armenian … emotionally and spiritually…
Hope Aliyev is talking out of his u know what and hope that he is just dreaming….and hope I am wrong about Sarkissian giving in..
G
Is Serj Sarkisian kidding on returning all Karabagh Armenian territories back to the Azeri’s. Does he think the Karabagh’sees will accept this. No way. Sarkisian should be removed from his position. Did we lose l5,000 soldiers in that war in waste. Armenian’s in Armenia and thru out the diaspora should immediately demonstrate on this historical 3000 year Armenian Territory and not one inch of soil should never be returned. Did the Armenian Parliament go along with Sarkisian?
Our Historical Lands can not be given to anybody!! We LOST many, many HERO Armenian Warriors shading SACRED Armenian BLOOD!!! Where is Serge Sarkissian he needs to reply back to Aliev.
Ashken Mouradian
Actually this Aliev statements are so much bluff that there is not a single reaction about it from Armenia or Artsakh. I believe this is internal one sided propaganda.
let Aliev and who ever agrees and stands to his opinion dream and never think that Artsak will always stay and be an armenian land .
enough of sucking our blood from turkish azeri sides .yet ,the world is standing their ,saying nothing doing nothing just doing what ever is good for their own business.
turkey must give back all occupied lands back without any conditions .
Armenians must stay united and stregthen ourselves .
This is disturbing because as Lt. Col John Keuseyan points out, the Armenian side seems to be getting nothing out of this. It seems we have nothing to gain and everything to lose. I don’t think we can just turn back the clock and pretend that the last last 20 years never happened. I agree that I hope the Armenian government denounces this annoucement soon.
Can some one tell me what the hell is giong on? How dare Aliyev can come up whith such an absurd and stupid announcement, where our goverment does not bother to tell him to shut up. Where are Serge and Edward? Why there are not saying anything? unless it is true and we have been shafted again by Turks.
aa: I just spoke with a young gentleman from armenia and his perceptions of the current people in power and the government are to say the least grim. corruption and self serving mafia types are in control. we should not put it past this president to do what it takes to enrich his inner circle at the cost of the security of armenia.
If we loose karabagh, in the words of Monte Melkonian “if we loose karabagh it will be the nails in the couffin for armenia” . Can we really let this happen?
This is nothing but azeri instigated propoganda. One of my friends in Armenia just got out of the army. According to him, our army at the moment is a lot more ready to walk all over the azeris than before. And Serge (according to him) is a lot more of a hard-ass concerning the Karabakh issue than Kocharian. There is no way anyone in the current administration will let Karabakh go
As Far as what Aliev is doing, it’s exactly the same as what the turks have been trying to do for the past 80 years (severe the ties between Armenia and the Diaspora), which of coarse won’t happen because the diaspora does not do what it does because of ties to the government.
Thanks Levon for your insight, that was kind of reassuring. But one thing always puzzles me is that why our president and authorities keep silence and never come out to challenge them, so they know (Azeris) they can not walk over us anytime they want. I know this is thier propaganda policy, however once in a while we should come out and tell them to shut up.
Being artsakhci himself , Serge Sargsyan can not be a betrayer or even a week link in Artsakh struggle … Also , there’s an issue about armenian refugees from “Azerbajdzhan” territory of about 400 ooo … The reaktion from the government f Armenia came today . Arkady Ghukassian made the statement in which he told about all the lies in I.Aliev’s interview to russian news agency … Arkady Ghukassian is ambassadr of Armenia now . I think that this was an oficial statement from Foreign Ministry to Aliev’s words … Also , I guess and still do think , that I.Aliev – the son of his late father is trying to put the words in the mouth of our side . He can just wish in his most sweetest dreams of that . Bluff , bluff and bluff – nothing serious , as far as I can see …
First of all what Aliyev is saying is absurd and the Armenian people will never return Karabakh to Azeris. After all sacrifice, our Armenian young men offered their lifes to liberate Artsakh, the suffering of Armenian people and Armenia during and after the Karabakh battle. Such agreement will never be acceptable from the Armenian side. I hope the Armenian leaders are enough clever not to accept this kind of agreements. Honestly these last weeks the disappointment toward the Armenian leaders Sargsyan and Nalbandyan how unwisely they are tuckling the Armenian issues (the Genocide, the relation with Turkey and Karabakh issue) is getting too much. I hope they are not selling out the Armenian territory and betraying all the entire Armenian people.
Secondly, yesterday I reflected about Obama’s positive speach to Russians in Moscow, however, he was saying that Russia must respect the sovereignty of Georgia and Ukraine. Why he can not make a similar speach to Turkey? Telling; Ok we are good friends, we have good relations however you have to recognize the Armenian genocide.
Aliev must be high on something to say that the status og Katabagh will not be decided.
All he’s doing is feeding misinformation to the public. This is a tactic that the Turks have masterminded.
We beter start doing the same thing such as spreading information that the Azeris have agreed to the total independence of Karabakh connected to Armenia by at least Lachin and Kelbachar.
I’m still not convinced this is from a reputable source. The usual azeri propoganda is how they are ready to take the territories back, and any moment the war will start again. This is a few levels higher than what I’m used to hearing, which leads me to believe it’s even more poorly organazied than the usual lies. Azeris know well that they can’t walk in and take the territory by force (otherwise they would have done so already). This story will probably be challenged in a few days, and then azeris will come up with some mor lies, like how the morale of their soldiers is so high (so that most of them routinely cross the border to our side to excape the beatings, and how the rich kids serve their time in hospitals)
If the things has been going on my way, I would not make them public because why should I?
No armenian will be safe anywhere if we fail to hold on to Karabakh. The good news is that most of us know this. There are enough real armenians in the world that will make sure that never again our sisters and mothers would be subject to rape by Turks. The living proof is the recent history of Karabakh.
Why President Sarkisian does not come out and declare: “Karabakh will never be part of Azerbaijan, Armenia will never accept this”
Let the Azeris say that the Armenian president’s remark are for internal use. Armenians’ talk about “self determination” has been viewed by the Azeris as a weak position to trample upon, internal propaganda notwithstanding.
It is time the President of Armenia put his money where his mouth is, and clarify once and for all that “self determination” equals independence. PERIOD.
Barev Hayer jan arach hayeren grem heto el angleren arachin hertin Alieve hle inke miayn xosuma ete minchev hima inke Alieve imanar kara mer Xarabxe zenki ujov versni minchev na kversner, kani vor hens ira zorke imanalov vor xarabaxe haykakan hoxa daje ira zinvore risk chi anum motikana u inch vor mnuma Alieviki xoskin yes mi hat xosk unem asem lsek
KANI VOR MARTHU XOSKE IRA BERANI MEJA ET XOSKE MARTHU GERIN A HENS VOR IRA BERANI MEJIS HELAV ET MARTHNA LINUM IRA XOSKI GERIN HIMA ALIEVE DARSELA HEN IRA XOSKI GERIN U DRANOV NA MNASELA PSHALALAREIS KAXVAS
hi there. first it would be interesting to point out that, this is utter nonesense. other than aliyev, no one has confirmed this story, including sarkissian who has later responded that there would be no deal as long as NKR is not involved in the negociations and international norms are not respected etc.
but consider what he is saying: 1-before anything is reached on artsax, the armenian army must leave the region, so that the armenian population remains unprotected=- of course he guarentees the protection of the local population using the azeri army (the same one which was responsible for a number of massacres between 1989 and 1994, and the very reason for the armenians declaring independence)…..then he wansts to ensure that the region becomes cutoff from armenia proper by giving back the “occupied territories”….so basically, ocne the armenians in artsax have no protection, and are totally surrounded once more, reministant of the situation in 1989, and once a million azeris are moved into the region (the actual total number of refugees on both sides is some 1 million people, including 400 000 armenians, most of which came from yerevan, baku, sumgait ganja, etc..there were never more than 200 000 people in the entire NK oblast)-so in other words, we don’t know if the ‘refugees’ coming back will ACTUALLY be from karabakh, so once armenians are a minority in their own land, they will talk about the status of the region…..
of course this is a joke, and the armenian side simply does not consider that it even needs to answer. so don’t worry yourselves too much
Armenian President: Any solution to Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that is unacceptable to the people of Nagorno-Karabakh cannot be viable and real
Armenia and Cyprus support each other in the Nagorno-Karabakh and Northern Cyprus problems, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan said during a joint press-conference with President of Cyprus Dimitris Christofias.
He said that the conflicts had to be resolved through peaceful negotiations in compliance with the international law. Armenia’s position concerning the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process is unchanged:
it wants guarantees that the war will not be resumed, that the Nagorno-Karabakh people will be allowed to exercise its right to self-determination and that Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh Republic will be provided with land communication. Sargsyan said that it would be strange if all the parties to the conflict had the same attitude to the problem.
All the parties perfectly know that the key point of the problem is the status of Nagorno-Karabakh. Any solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that is unacceptable to the people of Nagorno-Karabakh
cannot be viable and real, Sargsyan said.
© Arminfo
Dream on Ilham Aliyev!!! Dream on…
When you wake up from your dreams, just ask a qualified historian (not the ones you know) to give you a quick tutorial of your region’s ancient history going back to the Roman times. Maybe that will give you some sense of decency? I doubt it!
Aliyev was daydreaming.
http://www.alikonline.com/newsviewpage.aspx?idl=13556