BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 26. The one-sided
approach taken by certain circles serves revanchist tendencies
rather than peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Azerbaijan's
political analyst Azer Garayev told Trend.
According to him, at a time when a new geopolitical reality is
taking shape in the South Caucasus, and important steps are being
taken towards the signing of a peace treaty between Azerbaijan and
Armenia, some international political circles and organizations are
once again returning to the rhetoric of unilateral accusations. In
particular, in recent months, statements by individual members of
the UK Parliament, the promotion of a survey by the Human Rights
Institute of the International Bar Association on the so-called
"destruction of Armenian cultural heritage in Karabakh", as well as
resolutions adopted against Azerbaijan in the European Parliament,
raise the question of the extent to which they serve the
normalization process in the region.
"Approaching the issue from only one direction, ignoring the
complex historical and political context of the region, is
incompatible with objectivity. If the goal is to give a legal and
political assessment of the issues of human rights, humanitarian
law, and the protection of cultural heritage in the South Caucasus,
then the approach should be comprehensive, not selective, because
the history of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict isn't limited to
the last few years or months.
Historical facts show that since the 19th century, the
demographic and political balance in the region has been changed by
artificial interventions. There are numerous archival documents on
the resettlement of tens of thousands of Armenians from Iranian and
Ottoman territories to the region, including Karabakh, within the
framework of the Russian Empire's South Caucasus policy, especially
after the Turkmenchay Treaty of 1828. This process aimed to form a
loyal social base in the border zones of the empire and created the
basis for subsequent ethno-political conflicts," he said.
According to him, the tragic events that took place at the
beginning of the 20th century left a deep mark on the collective
memory of the region.
"During the March events of 1918, thousands of Azerbaijanis were
killed in Baku, Shamakhi, Guba, and other regions. Traces of these
events remain today in mass graves and archival materials. In the
following decades, the policy of gradual expulsion of Azerbaijanis
from the territory of present-day Armenia continued. The
deportations carried out in 1948-1953, and the expulsion of
hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis from their homeland in
1988-1989 were one of the most painful stages in the process of
transforming Armenia into a mono-ethnic state.
Against the backdrop of all these events, the occupation of the
Karabakh region of Azerbaijan and seven surrounding districts in
the early 1990s created one of the most severe humanitarian crises
in the region. Nearly a million people became refugees and
internally displaced persons, cities were devastated, and villages
were razed to the ground. The traces of the occupation in Aghdam,
Fuzuli, Jabrayil, and other districts created the appearance of
"dead cities" for many years. The facts of the destruction and
desecration of dozens of mosques, the vandalism of cemeteries, and
the changing of the origin of historical monuments did not receive
due attention on international platforms for many years," he
noted.
Garayev pointed out that this is precisely why raising the topic
of "Armenian cultural heritage" alone today raises legitimate
questions in public opinion: why have the destroyed cities of
Azerbaijan, the destroyed cultural heritage, and the rights of
people displaced from their lands not been brought to the agenda
with the same sensitivity for 30 years? If the goal is justice and
legal assessment, then all humanitarian tragedies that have
occurred in the region should be investigated with the same
objectivity.
"After the 44-day Second Karabakh War that took place in 2020, a
completely new reality has formed in the region. Azerbaijan has
effectively fulfilled the requirements of UN Security Council
resolutions that have not been implemented for years and has
restored its territorial integrity. After that, official Baku
declared the line of normalization and cooperation a priority.
Today, large-scale reconstruction and reconstruction work in the
liberated territories, the restoration of religious and cultural
monuments regardless of their affiliation, and the creation of
conditions for the return of former internally displaced persons to
their homelands are among the main directions of the post-conflict
period.
As President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly emphasized on various
international platforms, Azerbaijan is a supporter of long-term
peace in the South Caucasus and advocates building relations on the
principles of mutual sovereignty and recognition of territorial
integrity. The progress achieved in recent years in the direction
of peace negotiations also shows that the emergence of a new stage
of cooperation in the region is a real prospect," he said.
The analyst emphasized that, however, at such a sensitive stage,
unilateral political campaigns, accusations taken out of historical
context, and initiatives based on the narrative of only one side do
not serve peace.
"On the contrary, such steps can inspire the revanchist circles
that still exist in Armenia, undermine the atmosphere of trust, and
slow down the normalization process. The future of the South
Caucasus lies not in the accusation race, but in mutual
responsibility, a holistic acceptance of historical truths, and a
balanced approach by international actors. Selectively remembering
history serves neither justice nor lasting peace. The region's need
is not a new rhetoric of confrontation, but rather in drawing
conclusions from the past and looking to the future," Garayev
added.
