BAKU, Azerbaijan (A.W.)—Armenian authorities have harshly criticized Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s address to the sixth congress of his New Azerbaijan (Yeni Azerbaycan) party on Thursday, calling his remarks racist.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev vowed to “return Azerbaijanis” to Armenia during his address to his party faithful ahead of snap presidential elections slated for April 11.
Our historical lands are the Irevan [Yerevan] Khanate, Zangazur, and Goycha. Younger generation and the whole world should know this,” Aliyev said in his address. “Irevan is our historical land, and we, Azerbaijanis, should return to these historic lands. This is our political and strategic goal, and we must gradually approach it,” he added. “This is our strategic goal and we must gradually move closer to achieving this goal,” he then declared.
Armenia Reacts to Aliyev’s Comments
Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs harshly criticized Aliyev’s comments on Friday. Ministry spokesperson Tigran Balayan said in a statement that Aliyev’s call is a manifestation of the “racist essence of the ruling regime in Baku.”
“The territorial claims of the President of Azerbaijan—a state that emerged on the world’s political map only 100 years ago—are not new. This statement, together with repeated declarations that Armenians of the world are the number one enemies of Azerbaijan, once again demonstrate the racist essence of the ruling regime in Baku,” Balayan said.
Aliyev has made similar claims in the past. In Jan. 2014, he claimed that present-day Armenia was, in fact, Azerbaijan’s historic territory and vowed that the future would see a “return of those lands.” His remarks had come days before a scheduled meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers.
Deputy Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly Eduard Sharmazanov said of Aliyev’s latest comments, “Empty pots make the most noise.”
“In the 21st century, it is unacceptable when a president of a country expresses territorial claims in relation to the neighboring country. Such verbal attacks of Ilham Aliyev remind us of Adolf Hitler,” Sharmazanov told reporters in Yerevan.
Commenting on Aliyev’s dreams of annexing Yerevan, Sharmazanov noted that one of the Azerbaijani President’s predecessors, Abulfaz Elchibey, also made similar claims of campturing and “having tea in” Stepanakert, Artsakh’s capital. “The results are obvious,” Sharmazanov said about Elchibey’s comments.
Sharmazanov then urged the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group co-chairs and the wider international community to pay close attention to Aliyev’s statement and draw appropriate conclusions.
Armenian President Serge Sarkisian also mentioned “the latest statements coming from Baku,” during talks on Friday in Yerevan with Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russia, Stéphane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the U.S., and Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk. Sarkisian noted that Aliyev’s latest comments prove how far Azerbaijan is from being willing to advance the Artsakh negotiation process on the basis of proposals presented by the Minsk Group.
The co-chairs, briefed Sarkisian on their forthcoming work plans. Sarkisian reaffirmed Armenia’s readiness to continue together with the Minsk Group in their efforts toward the peaceful settlement of the conflict through negotiations.
how do you negotiate with zibil.
Just give the boy a lollypop and send him on his way to an asylum where he can continue dreaming.
This “thing” is as mad as they come. I wonder if the azeri’s see this chap as a destroyer of society or as a hero of “nothing”. As for OSCE the useless bunch of negotiators will do nothing, will not make massive moves to eradicate stupidity and war mongering. This idiots will not go away until his own people realise what a danger he is to society and to his own country. Wonder, if israel and the Usa will still sell arms to this mad man.
He is a cockroach that that needs to be sprayed of the face of the earth.
I wonder what will be Persians reaction for this corrupt Tatar-Turk comments!
It seems a common trait in the narcissist predatory criminal Turk to adopt a victim role and claim that what is yours is actually theirs. This while easily verifiable that Turks are invaders from the Asian foothills. Same absurd excuse given that “Armenians were traitors” and therefore a reason for the genocide. I guess traitors to oppressive invaders is not tolerated in Ottoman Turkey. This is the reality that Armenians are dealing with currently and need to be vigilant at all times. There is NO FRIENSHIP with these people. However I also do find it equally absurdly and impotent on our Armenian leaders, to welcome Turkish relations “whiteout any preconditions”? Turks still occupy 12 Armenian districts as a direct result of rape and murder and theft THAT and needs to be made clear upfront. Turks OWE the Armenian Nation not only an apology but reparations… Also absurd is the total silence of hundreds of thousands of Armenians expelled from Azerbaijan with NOTHING left, basically leaving homes, lands, businesses everything as a result of the pogroms, raping’s, murders and torture in Azerbaijani cities. They need to be factored in all negotiations.. Also never a mention of Nackichivan being historic Armenian lands given away by Joseph Stalin in 1923 to invading Turks, but the Azeri are more clever and upfront. They already deemed those as ancient Azeri leadership lands and proving it by destroying ancient Armenian grave stones. Even the supposed “Kojoli genocide” which is another made up Azeri political script off of a tragedy they created, is used commonly for propaganda. WAKE up Armenians. Turks only goal is to distort truth and hide their crimes and wish nothing more then ridding every Armenian from our homeland. We are at war… These people will never be our friends. Unite as One Armenia, Artsakh and diaspora. Its the ONLY answer.
All such false remarks should be repudiated and exposed for their untrue and irrational content othereise like the Turks the Azeris wiill try to rewrite history in their own twised fashion so that in time they will start to believe their own lies.
Are the comments stupid and baseless? Yes.
Are the comments blindly nationalistic? Yes.
Are the comments racist? No.
The sooner we’re able to delineate these nuances of Azeri attitude, the sooner we’ll progress in our struggle for freedom.
The raciest remarks by Pres. Aliev that Yerevan & surrounding lands of Historic Armenia are Azerbaijan’s territory when they only became a nation less than 100 years back. Azeri’s are a mixed race of numerous other races down thru the centuries when Seljuk Turks, Mongol Turks, & Ottoman Turks whom came & conquered the Caucasian & Asia Minor Nations & devastated these Christian Nations, & forcing millions to be Massacred or forced to become Moslems, not counting the millions whom fled to other lands. I am disturbed the United Nations have not brought forward these disasters by Turkey & Azerbaijan Turks whom are so intermixed down through the centuries of forced assimilation.
It is great to know Armenians has accepted “Armenians were traitors”. If Turks wanted or intended there will be not one christian in Caucasian, neither in Balkans while they were ruling the land over 700 years. And again if there was a genocide there will be hardly any Armenian left today. However, it is unfortunate all nations lost their life during WW1