(MENAFN- AzerNews)
Abbas Ganbay Read more
Armenian-born residents of Garabakh cannot be considered
Azerbaijani citizens, as they have not yet applied for Azerbaijani
citizenship. Most of them already have Armenian passports. There
are less than a thousand people who have applied for Azerbaijani
citizenship.
Ambassador Elchin Amirbayov, the representative of the President
of Azerbaijan on special assignments, said this in an interview
with Italy's "In Terris" while answering the questions of the
correspondent about the Garabagh war, the migration of Armenians,
their return, and plans for the establishment of sustainable peace
in the South Caucasus, Azernews reports.
"Does Azerbaijan intend to invade Armenia in the near future?"
the ambassador's answer to the question was clear and
unequivocal:
“Definitely, I will say that this is fake news that has been
spreading in recent days, the origin of which we cannot understand
until the end. The reason or excuse for such false news is the
transport link that will be created between Azerbaijan and its
exclave Nakhchivan, called "Zangazur Corridor": in fact, it is not
only a link connecting Azerbaijan and Armenia or regional states,
but also Asia in a wider sense. It can be an alternative route of
the middle transport corridor that can connect with Europe, and in
fact, it is a strategic project that can give a strong boost to
world trade.
According to him, if Erivan does not like the word "corridor",
it should be a passage, road, connection, etc. such terms can be
used".
Elchin Amirbeyov reminded that the mentioned term is "purely an
economic and transport concept":
"If Armenia does not fulfill its commitment on this matter, we
essentially have an alternative option, and thus the project of
connecting the main part of Azerbaijan with the autonomous republic
of Nakhchivan through the territory of Iran by rail and road will
be implemented in a short time. As for Armenia, it will remain the
deadlock in the region until now, and this will be the choice of
the Armenians themselves. In response to your question, let me say
once again that in any case, Azerbaijan does not have a territorial
claim against Armenia, and this is most likely a groundless claim
deliberately spread by Armenia."
The representative of the President on special assignments also
answered the journalist's question about the number of Armenian
residents in Garabagh and their possible return. First of all, he
reminded that "they are not citizens because they have not yet
applied for Azerbaijani citizenship".
"Most of them already have Armenian passports, and at least a
third of them are not originally from Garabagh, but came from
Armenia and illegally settled in Garabagh in recent decades under
the influence of a kind of "colonial" spirit. There are less than a
thousand people who have applied for Azerbaijani citizenship and
pledged to give up separatist actions."
Ambassador Amirbeyov noted that "aggressive separatism, which is
a serious threat to the state, is prohibited in many constitutions,
including the Italian constitution." According to him, "returning
them is a complicated matter."
"We understand that after 30 years of conflict, fleeing is a
predictable choice, but it was their personal choice, even though
the government of Azerbaijan urged them not to leave the country.
We have created a portal that allows for a quick return to
Azerbaijan, and we are committed to guaranteeing the safety,
rights, and economic well-being of these people. We believe that
the remaining few people can play an attractive role, given that
they are in contact with the escapees," Elchin Amirbeyov
emphasized.
The publication also asked the president's representative on
special assignments about Azerbaijan's position on the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Elchin Amirbeyov noted that Azerbaijan is "perhaps the
Muslim-majority country with the best relationship with Israel in
the world":
"This is more than simple friendship. It is enough to understand
the peaceful conditions of the Jewish community in our country. We
believe that the conflict has a territorial origin, not a religious
one. We are saddened by the loss of life on both sides, and that is
why we, like the majority of the United Nations, voted in favor of
a ceasefire in the fighting in Gaza. We believe that the conditions
of peace should be restored soon, innocent people should not lose
their lives, and we support the well-known solution, which includes
the formula of two peoples, and two states.
At the same time, the ambassador clarified the question
regarding the situation of Catholicism and Christianity in general
in Azerbaijan.
"Of course, the number of Catholics in our country is small, but
all their rights are protected by the state, like the rights of
other citizens of the country. It should be taken into account that
Azerbaijan is a secular country as well as a multicultural and
multi-confessional country. And this diversity is the source of our
pride. Muslims, Orthodox, Jews, Catholics, and others live
peacefully together here. They can have their own places of worship
and fulfill their religious needs according to the law."
He noted that when St. John Paul II was in Baku in 2002, then
President Heydar Aliyev made a decision to allocate free land to
Catholics in Baku for the construction of a church.
"The church was opened in 2008 by the then Secretary of State of
the Holy See, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone. Pope Francis visited
Azerbaijan in 2016 and was very pleased with the religious
tolerance and the degree of religious freedom prevailing in our
country. During the traditional meeting with journalists on the
plane that took him back to Rome, he spoke about the Azerbaijan
model, which is a platform for religious coexistence and
secularism, promotes freedom and mutual respect, and said that it
can be an example for many countries.
Elchin Amirbeyov emphasized that, as for churches, monasteries,
religious works, and objects belonging to Christians, they are an
integral part of the rich artistic and cultural heritage of
Azerbaijan and therefore are protected by the state.
"We are currently carrying out a census of all religious
monuments, including Christian monuments, in Garabagh, in the
recently liberated territories. If cultural and religious heritage
was insulted on the territory of our country, in relation to those
of Islamic origin, it was carried out by the occupying forces of
Armenia: I would like to draw your attention to only one terrible
figure: 65 out of 67 mosques in the Azerbaijani lands under
Armenian occupation were completely destroyed by the invaders. ,
the remaining two mosques were severely damaged. "Unfortunately, no
one in the world expresses concern about this," the Azerbaijani
official pointed out.
The representative of the President on special assignments
touched upon Baku's relations with the Vatican.
"I am in Rome to hold a series of high-level meetings, both in
the Vatican and in the Republic of Italy. Needless to say, Italy is
my country's most important partner in the European Union. As for
the Holy See, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of our diplomatic
relations last year, and our relations are growing. We hope that
the Vatican side will soon open its own nunciature in Baku, just as
we sent our own ambassador to the Holy See in Rome. One of the main
goals in the negotiations with my interlocutors is to inform the
other side about the current situation, prospects, and challenges
of the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the South
Caucasus, and to conduct a useful exchange of views on this issue,"
the ambassador said.
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