The reasons for the violation by the Armenian side of the ceasefire on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border and the shelling of Azerbaijani positions in Karabakh, from the zone of responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping contingent of Azerbaijan, commented on the former Foreign Minister Tofiq Zulfugarov in the “Difficult Question” program of TURAN Information Agency.

According to him, the provocations of the Armenians are aimed at achieving the deployment of peacekeepers on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border. The fact is that the status of the peacekeeping contingent is to stand between the parties to the conflict and take positions along the line of actual control. This automatically “freezes” the delimitation and demarcation process.

Moreover, the conflict status of the region is also “conserved”. In addition, the deployment of peacekeepers on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border would postpone the signing of a peace treaty to an indefinite future.

“In early June, while a visit to Paris, the acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan asked French President Emmanuel Macron to facilitate the deployment of peacekeepers on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border. Most likely, Macron, who has extremely limited opportunities in the South Caucasus, advised him to turn to Russia. Following this, there was information that Azerbaijan opposed the deployment of Russian peacekeepers on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border (this requires the consent of both sides – editor’s note),” the ex-minister said.

According to Zulfugarov, there are discrepancies in the positions of Russia and Armenia on the Zangezur corridor. Russia wants this corridor to be used and controlled by Russian border guards, but Armenia and the West do not support this corridor.

Obviously, the pressure exerted by Azerbaijan on the border is a way to force Armenia to comply with the requirements for the Zangezur corridor, the opening of which is part of a trilateral agreement concluded on November 10, 2020 by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia. That is why, while delimitation of borders the Armenians raise a cry that the territorial integrity of Armenia has been violated, etc.

Referring to the statement of President Ilham Aliyev that Zangezur, Goycha, Irevan are historical lands of Azerbaijan and Azerbaijanis will return to these lands, Tofiq Zulfugarov recalled that the trilateral Statement of November 10 states that all refugees must return to their native lands.

As for the territorial claims of Azerbaijan to Armenia, since the beginning of the restoration of independence, Yerevan did not recognize the territorial integrity and sovereignty of our country, started armed aggression and total ethnic cleansing of the Azerbaijani population, and attempted to annex the occupied territories.

“Therefore, before the official recognition of our territorial integrity, we get the right, acting on the principle of reciprocity, to consider the territory of a neighboring state as a disputed one, the belonging of which should be determined during subsequent negotiations,” the diplomat said.

According to him, the system of “Azerbaijan’s claims to Armenia lies in two main planes”

1. Historical (associated with the illegal transfer by the Bolsheviks of a part of Azerbaijan (Zangezur) to the Armenian SSR;

2. Humanitarian (associated with the implementation of ethnic cleansing of the Azerbaijani population by Armenia). Most of them were Azerbaijanis, and for 100 years, there was a policy of ethnic cleansing.

Finally, according to the Armenians, the Sumgayit events were one of the main causes of the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict. Where did the refugees come from in Sumgayit? From Kafan, which is part of Zangezur. Therefore, guided by human rights, we want to say – for a hundred years, you grossly violated the rights of these people, carried out ethnic cleansing. Now we want to restore their rights, in particular, the right to live on their lands.

“Azerbaijan believes that Armenia should transfer these territories to it, or consider options for joint management of these territories (international control over these territories), or a special status of these territories. All these theses do not contradict the norms of international law and have precedents in world practice,” concluded Zulfugarov.

Source: Turan News Agency