News.Az interviews Araz Alizade, co-chairman of the Social Democratic Party of Azerbaijan.
What's your assessment of the meeting of the Socialist International's committee on Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Black Sea region that has just ended in Baku?
I think it was really successful and proof of Azerbaijan’s readiness for dialogue, while representatives of the Armenian Dashnaktsutun Party, who took part in the Baku meeting, have not learnt the lessons of history. They are stuck in the past, still making territorial claims on neighbouring countries and trying to convince themselves and possibly others that Nagorno-Karabakh, occupied by Armenia, is “an independent state”. This can only make you smile.
Were you surprised by the provocative remarks of the deputy chairman of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation- Dashnaktsutun, Kiro Manoyan, in Baku?
Certainly not. I very much wanted all participants in the Socialist International meeting to see the nature and vision of the Dashnaktsutun. When I have proved to all the Socialist International representatives that the ideology of the Dashnaksutyun is national-socialist rather than social democratic, there have always been those who did not believe it. Fortunately, when he spoke in our capital city, Kiro Manoyan proved my words to all the doubters with his statements full of disregard for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.
When Kiro Manoyan got back to Armenia, he said you think that “Akhtamar is a brandy and we are always looking for Armenian territories everywhere”?
Anyone who lacks a sense of humour and does not understand irony has a disability. I cannot help Manoyan if he didn't understand that I was being ironic about his proposal to visit “historical Armenian lands” in Turkey, or to be more exact, Akhtamar island in Van province, or that the invitation was made by the “director of the Universe” and that I know there is Akhtamar brandy but do not know “the historical Armenian lands” in Akhtamar. Since Manoyan is so lacking in humour, he must get upset by [traditional Soviet] jokes about Armenian radio.
Does the Socialist International have a clear position on the resolution of Karabakh conflict?
The Socialist International will express its single position on the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Karabakh in Paris on 15 November. Of course, the Armenian side will insist that Nagorno-Karabakh is an independent state. We are proposing two versions: either Nagorno-Karabakh receives the highest degree of autonomy within Azerbaijan or our country reserves the right to restore its territorial integrity by force.
Akper Hasanov
News.Az
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