The New York Times on Thursday published a letter by the Representative of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic to the US, Robert Avetisyan, who was responding to a letter by Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to the US in the same publication, which perpetuated Baku’s military propaganda.
Below is the letter as it appears on NYT.com.
A Response to Azerbaijan
To the Editor:
A Jan. 21 letter from Azerbaijan’s ambassador seems to be calling on the United States to disregard the continued campaign against human rights and freedoms in his country. Instead, he suggests turning attention to the conflict between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh, which remains unresolved because of Azerbaijan’s revanchist aspirations.
Apparently, the recent increase in bloody attacks against Nagorno-Karabakh is how the Azeri leadership has chosen to distract attention, both domestic and international, from its suppression of liberties and dissent. The Azeri leadership must realize that by doing so it only deepens the gap with the international community, and delays a solution of the regional problems.
Azerbaijan must stop using pretexts, including military provocations, to justify domestic shortcomings. Existence of the democratic Nagorno-Karabakh Republic proves that true democracy is possible, even in conditions of a permanent threat of foreign aggression.
The people and democratically elected government of my country, the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, are interested in peace, prosperity and democracy in all regional states, including neighboring Azerbaijan.
ROBERT AVETISYAN
Washington, Jan. 23, 2015
The writer is the representative of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic to the United States.
