Interview with Elin Suleymanov, Azerbaijan's consul general in Los Angeles.
Q: Do you think the attendance of the Armenian Catholicos at the religious summit in Baku will affect Azerbaijani-Armenian relations?
A: Catholicos Garegin ll's presence in Baku has introduced a positive element into the situation in the region. On the whole, the summit reiterated Azerbaijan’s importance in intercultural dialogue and also showed that religious figures can contribute to strengthening peace and security.
It is too soon to predict the influence of the Catholicos’ visit to Baku on Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, since an improvement in the situation requires progress in the resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict and that the Armenian authorities give up their policy of confrontation with their neighbours. At the same time, Garegin’s participation in the religious summit and his meetings in Azerbaijan pave the way for greater mutual understanding on a purely human level.
Q: How do you assess the appearance of the first Armenian-language website in Azerbaijan?
A: Azerbaijan is one of the leading countries in the region, therefore, the appearance of information resources both in Armenian and in other languages of our neighbours is timely and useful. I would like to wish success to the leadership and the staff of the website. This is a very interesting initiative.
Q: Are Armenians interested in getting information about Azerbaijan?
A: It is difficult to judge the interest of Armenians. Much depends on whether the information on your website is provided in a form that is interesting to the readers. At the same time, certainly, information about Azerbaijan should arouse interest amongst Armenian readers since there is a definite lack of information and this does not promote mutual understanding. Let’s recall that immediately after the elections of the Armenian president in 2008 the country imposed censorship and the leading Armenian websites announced that the information posted their had passed the official censors. Tackling the problem of the Armenian press is certainly not the job your website, but this example again proves the importance of increasing the information exchange.
Q: How realistic do you consider the peaceful coexistence of Azerbaijanis and Armenians once the Karabakh conflict has been resolved?
A: I think our peoples simply have no choice. We are neighbours through the hand of God. Though today we are facing negative moments in history and the present, we have the experience of coexistence and a successful neighbourhood. Our neighbours in Armenia simply have to realize that we are responsible for the future of our region and narrow ethnic ideology will not be useful in the multi-ethnic Caucasus.
The resolution of the Karabakh conflict as soon as possible is certainly the key to peaceful coexistence. The real tension in the region comes from the occupation of Azerbaijani lands and the driving of about one million civilians from their homes rather than abstract emotions on the basis of ethnic affiliation. Armenians should ask themselves a simple question: how do they imagine the future of the whole region if the status quo does not change? I do not doubt that anyone with any sense realizes the need for progress on the resolution as soon as possible.
Q: Are Azerbaijanis and Armenians able to restore cooperation in different spheres, for example, in transnational projects, forgetting their previous quarrels?
A: It is not that we have to forget our history. Historical memory is an integral part of national consciousness. When we talk about 'quarrels', we again imply the implications of the Armenian aggression that killed thousands, made hundreds of thousands refugees and caused great damage to the economy. This cannot be forgotten!
We should better strive to ensure that the lessons of history do not damage our future. That is, we should demonstrate sound pragmatism and realize that there are no alternatives to coexistence as neighbours and regional integration. Azerbaijan has repeatedly proven its pragmatism and openness for cooperation on a mutually profitable basis. It is now Armenia’s turn, which must prove that it is a really independent state and a full member of the regional community. For this purpose, for Yerevan, the priority must be the welfare of Armenian citizens rather than ideological euphoria.
As for the lessons of history, probably, it is time for Armenians to understand that it is important to find a common language with their neighbours which meets the interests of the Armenian people.
Jamil Bayramov - News.Az
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