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THE GUARDIAN'S JOURNALIST: "NAGORNO KARABAKH TURNED INTO MONO-ETHNIC SOCIETY"
Milaz.info
Nov 29 2011
Azerbaijan
"I would like Azerbaijanis to return to Karabakh, Armenians to Baku"
APA's interview with British journalist, The Guardian's
Jonathan Steele, who many times visited the region and covered
Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict in 1988-1994
- You were in Armenian and Azerbaijan many times and know the
situation. Some representatives of Armenian leadership declare that
Armenians and Azerbaijanis can not co-exist. What do you think is
it possible?
- Without going into details of the conflict, I have to note that both
sides must make halfway. The conflict is called as frozen, but it is
a crucial problem for the displaced persons, who were expelled from
their homeland. Therefore I hope that leaderships and politicians of
both countries will have enough power and courage to achieve certain
compromises. If the relations are established, the people will have
an opportunity to leave their ghettos and pay mutual visits.
- What influence do the foreign forces have in the process of the
settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict?
- The foreign influence is very important and it is observed in many
conflict zones. There is so large non-confidence between the sides
that foreign mediation is necessary. In your case, it is the OSCE
Minsk Group that plays an important role.
- What do you think about the role of mediators? Is this role positive
always?
- There is always certain opinion that whether mediators have unbiased
position or not. It is needed to ensure the unbiased role of the
mediators. If it is not so, the other side will not accept what the
mediators say.
- The international community plays enough active role in this
conflict. What does the Nagorno Karabakh conflict mean for the
international community?
- The international community has quite flighty attention and
switches it easily to other issue. Today all of them focus attention
on Afghanistan, tomorrow on Libya and Syria. Unfortunately the conflict
attracts attention while it is in the stage of flaring or bloodshed.
If the US has any relation to the conflict, it attracts more serious
attention. While active battles were going in Nagorno Karabakh and
Soviet Union was a force, Karabakh was considered as an element of
USSR collapse. Soviets don't exist now and Russia is not considered
as an important player like USSR and therefore Karabakh attracts
less attention.
- How do you remember Nagorno Karabakh?
- It was one of the biggest tragedies I had ever seen. The people
of different cultures, religions and ethnicities co-existed in the
villages once, but now it turned into mono-ethnic society. In the case
of conflict in Northern Ireland, if the Catholics and Protestants left
their lands, it would be a great tragedy. I would like Azerbaijanis to
return to Karabakh, Armenians to Baku, as well as Azerbaijanis once
living in Armenia to return there. I would like the policy to make
it possible. For me, Karabakh is a warning, model of what shouldn't
have happened.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Milaz.info
Nov 29 2011
Azerbaijan
"I would like Azerbaijanis to return to Karabakh, Armenians to Baku"
APA's interview with British journalist, The Guardian's
Jonathan Steele, who many times visited the region and covered
Armenian-Azerbaijan conflict in 1988-1994
- You were in Armenian and Azerbaijan many times and know the
situation. Some representatives of Armenian leadership declare that
Armenians and Azerbaijanis can not co-exist. What do you think is
it possible?
- Without going into details of the conflict, I have to note that both
sides must make halfway. The conflict is called as frozen, but it is
a crucial problem for the displaced persons, who were expelled from
their homeland. Therefore I hope that leaderships and politicians of
both countries will have enough power and courage to achieve certain
compromises. If the relations are established, the people will have
an opportunity to leave their ghettos and pay mutual visits.
- What influence do the foreign forces have in the process of the
settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict?
- The foreign influence is very important and it is observed in many
conflict zones. There is so large non-confidence between the sides
that foreign mediation is necessary. In your case, it is the OSCE
Minsk Group that plays an important role.
- What do you think about the role of mediators? Is this role positive
always?
- There is always certain opinion that whether mediators have unbiased
position or not. It is needed to ensure the unbiased role of the
mediators. If it is not so, the other side will not accept what the
mediators say.
- The international community plays enough active role in this
conflict. What does the Nagorno Karabakh conflict mean for the
international community?
- The international community has quite flighty attention and
switches it easily to other issue. Today all of them focus attention
on Afghanistan, tomorrow on Libya and Syria. Unfortunately the conflict
attracts attention while it is in the stage of flaring or bloodshed.
If the US has any relation to the conflict, it attracts more serious
attention. While active battles were going in Nagorno Karabakh and
Soviet Union was a force, Karabakh was considered as an element of
USSR collapse. Soviets don't exist now and Russia is not considered
as an important player like USSR and therefore Karabakh attracts
less attention.
- How do you remember Nagorno Karabakh?
- It was one of the biggest tragedies I had ever seen. The people
of different cultures, religions and ethnicities co-existed in the
villages once, but now it turned into mono-ethnic society. In the case
of conflict in Northern Ireland, if the Catholics and Protestants left
their lands, it would be a great tragedy. I would like Azerbaijanis to
return to Karabakh, Armenians to Baku, as well as Azerbaijanis once
living in Armenia to return there. I would like the policy to make
it possible. For me, Karabakh is a warning, model of what shouldn't
have happened.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress