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Global Insight
June 23, 2011
Azerbaijan's "Armenophobia" May Thwart Peace Agreement, Armenian
President Warns EU
by Lilit Gevorgyan
Yesterday (22 June), Armenian president Serge Sargsyan in his speech
to the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe (PACE) warned that
continued intolerance and "Armenophobia" in Azerbaijan may derail the
current peace process between the two neighbours. Sargsyan highlighted
the conclusion of a recent report on Azerbaijan by the European
Commission against Racism and Intolerance, which criticised the
extreme level of racism against Armenians currently practiced in
Azerbaijan. The report, published in May, urged Baku to take measures
to curb those social attitudes. The Armenian president said that his
country is willing to seek peaceful settlement to the conflict over
the final status of the Armenian-populated, self-declared
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR), which broke away from Azerbaijan in
1988. Sargsyan had earlier stated to Armenian media that the upcoming
meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev in Russia on 24
June may bring a breakthrough in long-running peace talks, as the
parties could agree to a framework agreement. In his speech at PACE,
Sargsyan said that "an agreement can be finalised and effectively
implemented only when the patterns of Armenophobia and racism are
eliminated in Azerbaijan and an atmosphere of trust is formed".
Significance:The Armenian president's warning is reflective of a
strong sentiment, particularly among the NKR Armenians, who fear that
in case they are forced under Azerbaijani rule, their physical
security will be highly compromised. Since the 1988-94
Armenian-Azerbaijani war, which claimed 30,000 lives on both sides,
there are practically no Armenians or Azerbaijanis left in either
country. Although the hostile sentiments in Azerbaijan towards
Armenians are understandable, in recent years the government has also
promoted the cultural intolerance of and outright hunt for Armenians.
Perhaps this trend was best expressed in 2005 when the government
ordered the Azeri army units stationed in its Nakhichevan
region--currently part of Azerbaijan but part of historic Armenia--to
bulldoze a unique site of dozens of medieval Armenian Christian
cross-stones protected by UNESCO as a world historic heritage site.
The video of the destruction was shown on Azerbaijani state television
as an act of revenge. This symbolic act reaffirmed the NKR Armenians'
fear that they too face physical destruction should Azerbaijan gain
the upper hand in terms of military capabilities over the coming
years. Aliyev himself decided in 2006 to award the "Man of the Year"
honours to infamous Azeri army officer Ramil Safarov. This was after
Safarov was convicted in Hungary for beheading his fellow Armenian
colleague with an axe in 2004 while the latter was asleep. Both were
army officers attending a NATO-sponsored language course in Hungary.
Aliyev's drive to drum up nationalistic rhetoric domestically can win
him support. However, this leaves almost no scope for integrating the
NKR into Azerbaijan. The NKR Armenians say they have every reason to
believe that without proper security mechanisms in place, a repeat of
the ethnic cleansing of Armenians is unavoidable, as Azerbaijan is
openly preparing for war. Against this background, it is hard to see
how the negotiating parties can reach any meaningful settlement of the
conflict during the upcoming talks in Russia.
June 23, 2011
Azerbaijan's "Armenophobia" May Thwart Peace Agreement, Armenian
President Warns EU
by Lilit Gevorgyan
Yesterday (22 June), Armenian president Serge Sargsyan in his speech
to the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe (PACE) warned that
continued intolerance and "Armenophobia" in Azerbaijan may derail the
current peace process between the two neighbours. Sargsyan highlighted
the conclusion of a recent report on Azerbaijan by the European
Commission against Racism and Intolerance, which criticised the
extreme level of racism against Armenians currently practiced in
Azerbaijan. The report, published in May, urged Baku to take measures
to curb those social attitudes. The Armenian president said that his
country is willing to seek peaceful settlement to the conflict over
the final status of the Armenian-populated, self-declared
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR), which broke away from Azerbaijan in
1988. Sargsyan had earlier stated to Armenian media that the upcoming
meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev in Russia on 24
June may bring a breakthrough in long-running peace talks, as the
parties could agree to a framework agreement. In his speech at PACE,
Sargsyan said that "an agreement can be finalised and effectively
implemented only when the patterns of Armenophobia and racism are
eliminated in Azerbaijan and an atmosphere of trust is formed".
Significance:The Armenian president's warning is reflective of a
strong sentiment, particularly among the NKR Armenians, who fear that
in case they are forced under Azerbaijani rule, their physical
security will be highly compromised. Since the 1988-94
Armenian-Azerbaijani war, which claimed 30,000 lives on both sides,
there are practically no Armenians or Azerbaijanis left in either
country. Although the hostile sentiments in Azerbaijan towards
Armenians are understandable, in recent years the government has also
promoted the cultural intolerance of and outright hunt for Armenians.
Perhaps this trend was best expressed in 2005 when the government
ordered the Azeri army units stationed in its Nakhichevan
region--currently part of Azerbaijan but part of historic Armenia--to
bulldoze a unique site of dozens of medieval Armenian Christian
cross-stones protected by UNESCO as a world historic heritage site.
The video of the destruction was shown on Azerbaijani state television
as an act of revenge. This symbolic act reaffirmed the NKR Armenians'
fear that they too face physical destruction should Azerbaijan gain
the upper hand in terms of military capabilities over the coming
years. Aliyev himself decided in 2006 to award the "Man of the Year"
honours to infamous Azeri army officer Ramil Safarov. This was after
Safarov was convicted in Hungary for beheading his fellow Armenian
colleague with an axe in 2004 while the latter was asleep. Both were
army officers attending a NATO-sponsored language course in Hungary.
Aliyev's drive to drum up nationalistic rhetoric domestically can win
him support. However, this leaves almost no scope for integrating the
NKR into Azerbaijan. The NKR Armenians say they have every reason to
believe that without proper security mechanisms in place, a repeat of
the ethnic cleansing of Armenians is unavoidable, as Azerbaijan is
openly preparing for war. Against this background, it is hard to see
how the negotiating parties can reach any meaningful settlement of the
conflict during the upcoming talks in Russia.