A guide book for Armenian separatism by President Aliyev: patience has limits
Final episode of the “Miatsum” story

ANALYTICS  30 May 2023 - 12:09

The hopes of the Armenian separatists in the Karabakh region for a so-called “independence” have been ultimately dashed after President Ilham Aliyev irreversibly dismissed any chances for their aspirations to come true.

President Aliyev was quite decisive in dismissing the “Miatsum” campaign of the Armenians that features separatism, “status”, and “independence” efforts in Karabakh.

“There is only one option left – to obey the laws of Azerbaijan, be a loyal and normal citizen of Azerbaijan, throw the false state attributes in the trash, and dissolve the “parliament” – as if there is a ‘parliament’, as if there is a ‘president”, as if there is a ‘minister’, all this is funny. We are simply being patient,” President Aliyev said in a meeting with the former IDPs in Lachin on May 28, per President.Az.

He added that Azerbaijan has all the opportunities to carry out any operation in the parts of Karabakh inhabited by Armenians.

“Therefore, the ‘parliament’ should be dissolved, the element calling himself ‘president’ should surrender, all ‘ministers’, ‘deputies’ and others should give up their positions. Only in that case can a concession be made to them,” President Aliyev said.

The nationalist "Miatsum" slogan calls for "unification", i.e. separatism in the Azerbaijani lands. Since its emergence amidst the rise of anti-Azerbaijan sentiments in Armenia in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it has been calling for annexing Azerbaijan's Karabakh region to Armenia calling it "Artsakh” [the name Armenia uses for Karabakh].

President Aliyev’s recent statement in Lachin was the final nail in the coffin of the “independence” dreams of the separatists. Aliyev said Azerbaijan has been moderate in dealing with the issues regarding the fate of the Armenian population of Karabakh, including the arrangement of talks between a representative from Baku and the members of the Armenian community. Following the first round of talks, according to the Azerbaijani president, they have been invited to the second meeting in Baku. However, the proposal remained dead in the water due to the refusal of the Karabakh Armenians.

The Azerbaijani leader said Baku is not going to make the third invitation, therefore, they should either voluntarily apply for Azerbaijani citizenship or things will develop differently.

“My word is final, and everyone knows that both in Azerbaijan and the rest of the world, including Armenia. We do what we say. Not a single word of ours, as they say, has been left in the air and never will be in the future either,” Aliyev stated, calling on the Karabakh Armenians to not miss the next opportunity given by Azerbaijan.

The Foreign Ministry of Armenia, interpreted President Aliyev’s remarks as a “preparation for another aggressive action against the population of Karabakh and depriving them of the right to live freely, safely, and with dignity”. The separatists in Karabakh have also turned down the proposals by President Aliyev, according to Armenian media reports.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry called the Armenian Ministry’s statement “biased and baseless”. According to the ministry, the deliberate distortion of the calls of President Aliyev by Yerevan shows that history has not taught the necessary lessons to the Armenian side.

“It is ridiculous that Armenia, which committed an act of aggression against Azerbaijan in violation of the UN Charter and the norms and principles of international law, and did not end the occupation despite 4 resolutions of the UN Security Council, is claiming that Azerbaijan is threatening with the use of force,” the ministry said in a statement on May 30.

Meanwhile, on May 29, members of an illegal Armenian armed detachment in the territory of Azerbaijan, where the Russian peacekeepers are temporarily stationed, under the guise of agricultural work, attempted to install long-term fortification devices near the Azerbaijan Army’s positions located in the directions of the Aghdam, Khojavend, Shusha, Lachin, and Kalbajar regions. According to the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan, the engineering work was immediately stopped as a result of the urgent measures taken by the Azerbaijan army units.

On May 30, they renewed their destructive activities by targeting the positions of the Azerbaijani army in the Aghdam, Shusha, and Kalbajar regions, as a result of which 15 incidents were recorded. The gunfire was stopped after the Azerbaijan Armed Forces took adequate measures.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have long been at odds over the latter's Karabakh region. Following the Soviet Union’s dissolution in 1991, Armenia launched a military campaign against Azerbaijan that lasted until a ceasefire deal was reached in 1994. As a result, Armenia occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized territories. Over 30,000 ethnic Azerbaijanis were killed, and one million were expelled from those lands in a brutal ethnic cleansing campaign carried out by Armenia.

On September 27, 2020, the decades-old conflict between the two countries spiralled after Armenia’s forces deployed in occupied Azerbaijani lands shelled military positions and civilian settlements of Azerbaijan. During counter-attack operations, Azerbaijani forces liberated over 300 settlements, including the cities of Jabrayil, Fuzuli, Zangilan, Gubadli, and Shusha, from a nearly 30-year-long illegal Armenian occupation. The war ended in a statement signed on November 10, 2020, under which Armenia returned the occupied Aghdam, Kalbajar, and Lachin districts to Azerbaijan.

Nearly 25,000 Armenian-origin people reside in certain parts of the Karabakh region, monitored by a temporary Russian peacekeeping mission. Shortly after the war, the government of Azerbaijan voiced its readiness to reintegrate these people into Azerbaijani society in line with the Constitution and laws of Azerbaijan.

On March 1, officials from Azerbaijan met with the representatives of Armenians residing in the Karabakh region. During the meeting, preliminary discussions were held on their reintegration into Azerbaijani society. In late March, the Azerbaijani authorities invited the representatives of Karabakh Armenians to Baku for a second meeting.

However, a group of separatists in the Karabakh region meddled to derail the process. They have been seeking a so-called status for the region’s Armenian population, demanding “independence” from Azerbaijan.

Caliber.Az