Ambassador of Armenia to Latvia: "We are fighting for our right to live in our homeland"
Tigran Mkrtchyan, Ambassador of Armenia to Latvia answers Neatkarīgās questions.
Many readers of Neatkarīgā ask us if it is the beginning of war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Maybe we could elucidate who is warring with whom in this conflict? Is Armenian in a state of war with Azerbaijan?
Presently it is a war between Azerbaijan and the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh. Many don’t understand that already in 1991 an independent state was formed - Nagorno Karabakh or Artsakh. There are 150 000 inhabitants in Nagorno Karabakh. During times of the USSR it was an autonomous region within the Azerbaijan SSR. At some point, i.e. in 1921, Stalin (1878 -1953) decided that Nagorno Karabakh or Artsakh, populated mainly by Armenians, should be incorporated into Bolshevik Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan was independent between 1918 and 1920. Neither then nor before that Nagorno Karabakh or Artsakh was a part of Azerbaijan. Until 1918 Azerbaijan even didn’t exist as a state on the political map of the world. I have at my disposal, for example, the British Encyclopaedia of 1911 where it is said about Azerbaijan that it is a North Eastern province of Iran, a very small article indeed. Azerbaijan became independent 1918 thanks to support of the Turkish military. Since then many territorial claims have been expressed concerning Nagorno Karabakh or Artsakh, Nakhijevan, Zangezur which is an inseparable part of modern Armenia. Now the Armenians of Karabakh face an existential question: to be or not to be. Therefore, now it is a war between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh. Karabakh is supported only and exclusively by Armenia, whilst Azerbaijan is supported by Turkey and international terrorists as it is already acknowledged by France, Russia, USA, UK, Iran and other countries.
Presently, unlike the war of 1991.-1994, the weapons are already of the 21st, not of the 20th century. Does Karabakh have anything which could help to stand up against such armament?
Azerbaijan has vast revenues and therefore it could afford to buy modern armament. It is very worrying. But right now the nature of the war has changed. Even now when we are talking. Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno Karabakh, is shelled by heavy artillery and rockets. Even the internationally banned cluster bombs are used. On October 8 the most symbolic building of Shushi, Holy Savior Cathedral was twice attacked, the first attack was hit by war planes and caused major damage. This is a war crime in broad daylight witnessed and registered by several international journalists (some of whom were severely hurt during the attack).
We have to admit that the military of Karabakh conducted a precise and effective strike against the military airport of Ganja which was the starting point of many combat planes flown against Karabakh. This military airfield was destroyed although during the operation also a nearby building may have been damaged. Azerbaijan tried to use it to generate a full-blown international scandal alleging that the Armenians had shelled the second biggest city of Azerbaijan with half a million inhabitants. The Armenian side answers that it was a strike against a military airfield. Even if Azerbaijan’s claims about the death of one civilian were true, it doesn’t mean that the Armenian forces had shelled Ganja city!
The strikes of Azerbaijan’s military against Stepanakert, Shushi, Martakert and other towns and villages of Karabakh is something else entirely, it is a deliberate shelling and attempts to launch another Armenian genocide!
The only difference between the bloody war at the beginning of the 90ies of the 20th century is the use of more advanced military equipment and, unlike those times, Turkey’s involvement in the conflict is much more pronounced. Turkish F16 planes organized intelligence flights as well as air-covered several of the attacks on Nagorno-Karabakh Army positions, their military is on the ground and helping Azerbaijanis by all possible means.
What hasn’t changed is the use of islamic terrorists. During the previous war the Azerbaijani side had more than 3000 Mujahedeen from Afghanistan. According to our information and evidence presently there are several thousands of terrorists from Syria who fight at the Azerbaijani side. The involvement of international terrorists has very practical goals. No one in Azerbaijan cares if foreign mercenaries are killed in action, on the other hand, if Azerbaijani soldiers die then their families mourn their death. If such cases multiply the dissatisfaction with the president who pulled his country in a bloodshed is bound to grow.
If I am allowed to use a poetic comparison I would say that presently we observe a fight of islamic terrorists against the first Christian nation in the world because it was Armenians who formed the first state where the leading religion was Christianity.
Do you have any chance to withstand if Azerbaijan is supported by Turkey but Karabakh is supported only by Armenia? Given the differences of economic and military potential?
This is what we emphasize. When the Azerbaijani diplomats try to declare that their military forces have just responded to Karabakh’s attack, that this is just a counterattack one cannot help but conclude that this is complete nonsense. Karabakh and Armenia together have 3 million inhabitants. Turkey and Azerbaijan together have more than 100 million inhabitants. The military budget of these two countries together is even many more times bigger than ours. We had no motive to attack first. Presently we are fighting so that Armenians could stay in Karabakh, so that we could freely live in the place where our ancestors have lived for hundreds and even thousands of years! We are fighting for survival! That is why we need people in the EU, in Latvia and in the whole world to understand what in reality is going on in Nagorno Karabakh.
It is very important to appeal to Turkey to cease its attempts to meddle in the conflict and stay out. It is very important to appeal to Azerbaijan and Turkey to cease bringing to the area of conflict international terrorists. It is important to demand, even threatening sanctions, that Azerbaijan should immediately suspend their military offensive and cease shellings and other military actions. Unfortunately, until now Azerbaijani side has refused to do so.
Can Karabakh hope to hold out and persevere?
The results of the first ten days of fighting show that Azerbaijan can’t claim decisive achievements. The people of Nagorno Karabakh are fighting for their homeland. The people of Artsakh live in mountains but Azerbaijanis are people from plains, therefore the experience and knowledge of the terrain are both advantages of the Karabakh people. What is more, the people of Karabakh have always been fierce warriors who refused to submit to empires, who were able to preserve their language and religion. Karabakh was always able to retain a part of its independence, even against the influence of Islam during the last centuries. The same is true about the present times. The Armenians are defending their homeland, but our adversaries are fighting for political goals set by their authoritarian leader.
What is Russia’s position in this conflict?
Russia is neutral. Russia along with France and the USA is one of the OSCE Minsk group Co-Chairs and has repeatedly called for immediate ceasefire.
Does Russia help Armenia?
No! Russia helps neither Armenia nor Azerbaijan. Russia has been selling armament to Armenia as well as Azerbaijan. Russia hasn’t actively helped Armenia and doesn’t help it now. There are people who think that the present Karabakh war is somehow a peculiar, undeclared war between Turkey and Russia on Karabakh territory, but it is not true. The involvement of these two countries is very different. Russia is neutral and ready to be a mediator while Turkey sticks very deep in this conflict. Of course, Russia has certain influence on Armenia, Turkey and Azerbaijan but until now that influence has not been effective in ceasing the hostilities. It is possible that the Russian leadership hopes that reason will prevail already in the nearest future and Azerbaijan as well as Turkey will cease to escalate the conflict. Nevertheless, Russia and other countries are very worried about the involvement of the international terrorists in this conflict, as well as about the destructive role of Turkey in all this situation.
You visited Latvia. What was your most important message to the Latvian politicians and Latvian society?
I appeal to the government and to the society of Latvia to make their assessment of the current situation using verifiable information. That is, to understand that it was Azerbaijan’s aggression against Nagorno Karabakh. Secondly. It must be understood that Azerbaijan is backed by Turkey. Turkey is a NATO Member State and it is exceedingly dangerous that a NATO Member State is inciting war and destruction against a NATO partner country.
Thirdly, it must be understood that the involvement of international islamic terrorism in conflicts in South Caucasus means enhanced security risk to Europe.
If Turkey’s and Azerbaijan’s actions won’t be adequately assessed, for example threatening sanctions then there will be risk of another Armenian genocide. I hope that Latvia will understand that and won’t let it happen. Ceasefire must be achieved immediately because Armenia is and has been always ready to resume negotiations.
We are fighting for our right to live in our homeland. Several EU countries have already expressed support to Armenia. The Parliament of Netherlands adopted a resolution which calls the government of Netherlands to demand investigation about Azerbaijan’s actions during the conflict. Canada has halted military export permits to Turkey and ordered an investigation into facts that Turkey and Azerbaijan were using Canadian technology in the Nagorno-Karabakh fight. French President right from Riga made a very strong statement about Turkey’s organization of terrorists’ transportation to the region and facilitation of Azerbaijan’s conquest of Karabakh, which is said is absolutely unacceptable. Strong assessment about Azerbaijan’s actions has already been expressed by Cyprus and Greece. The EU members have begun to gain a better understanding of the nuances of the situation and I would like to appeal to the Baltic states and the people of Latvia to join these efforts.
More than 30 years ago the Popular Front of Latvia expressed support to Karabakh’s efforts to join Armenia. Those who fought for the independence of Latvia then had a very clear understanding of the aspirations of Armenian people to decide that they want to be free, independent and stay in their homeland. During the last years of the Soviet Union, in accordance with the USSR legislation, Nagorno-Karabakh legally obtained independence from Azerbaijan, which was not welcomed by Soviet authorities in Moscow and Soviet Azerbaijan. Moreover, bloodshed of Armenians was organized in Sumgaitand other parts of Azerbaijan. Later on at the moment of dissolution of the Soviet Union two independent and legally equal subjects were formed on the territory of Soviet Azerbaijan - the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and the Republic of Azerbaijan. At the time when Azerbaijan became independent it neither legally nor effectively had any control over Nagorno-Karabakh. This needs to be understood very clearly. Moreover, the peaceful requests to invoke the then legal procedures for revising Stalin’s illegal decision were met by use of force, pogroms and massacres. We see now again inhuman drive to destroy and annihilate everything for the sake of gaining a territory Azerbaijan claims. Obviously the only guarantee of the security and survival of the Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh is the recognition of the right of Nagorno-Karabakh to self-determination.
Presently the democratic Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) and Armenia are fighting against two most authoritarian dictators, i.e. those of Azerbaijan’s and Turkey’s dictators, that have invited also terrorists to further their cause. Therefore a cautious neutrality means supporting a new Armenian genocide!