The statements issued by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, as well as the Basic Principles release published by the White House, Kremlin, and Brussels (Madrid Principles) on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, aroused official Baku’s hysterics. Azeri websites fell into stupor. The Basic Principles draft presented to the public provoked an abrupt discord with the ideas and fantasies of Azerbaijani journalists and experts, which is the result of a long-term brainwashing by the Azeri agitprop (official propaganda).

Here are the Basic Principles to underlie an agreement on comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict:

- return of the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani control;

- an interim status for Nagorno-Karabakh providing guarantees for security and self-governance;

- a corridor linking Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh;

- future determination of the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh through a legally binding expression of will;

- the right of all internally displaced persons and refugees to return to their former places of residence;

- international security guarantees that would include a peacekeeping operation.

As we can see the document contains not a single word on Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan. This — and nothing else — is the ultimate aim and major phobia of the Azerbaijani political community. None of the Azerbaijani President, ministers and MPs statements, let alone the journalists’ liberties, lacked self-confident and uncompromising thesis on Nagorno-Karabakh as an integral part of Azerbaijan. But what does the document really say? “….determination of the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh through legal and mandatory declaration of will.”

The Azerbaijani propaganda will mostly likely make an about-turn and fable the readers that by referendum even the last clause of the principles on “the right of all internally displaced persons and refugees to return to their former places of residence”, will have been put into practice. However, the document says not a single word of the refugees being exclusively Azerbaijanis. The document equally applies to Armenian refugees, for instance, refugees from Baku. But even if it was not so, it is a sheer utopia to hope that Armenians will allow as many Azerbaijanis as necessary for changing the results of a supposed referendum to settle in Nagorno-Karabakh. We might just as well expect the authorities of Kosovo, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, let alone Turkish Cyprus to suddenly allow tens of thousands Serbs, Georgians and Greeks to return, and then hold a new referendum and surrender at discretion.

According to the document, Azerbaijan will get what could as the maximal concession possible – five regions around Nagorno-Karabakh, with Lachin to remain under the Armenian side’s control (Principle 3). The NKR is to get an interim status and wait for a referendum, with international peacekeeping forces to replace the Armenian troops and guarantee its security as part of a peacekeeping operation (the last Principle). It is obvious that the 15-year-long peace has been maintained in the region due to a peacekeeping operation by the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army and RA Armed Forces.

And what do our Azerbaijani opponents say? This is what they say:

“Three Christian countries (Russia, France and USA) are overtly supporting Armenia, doing their best to help it realize its aggressor ambitions and force Azerbaijan to establish peace that might be tantamount to a defeat. The version proposed by them implies the deployment of international peacekeeping forces for the preservation of the separatist regime in Nagorno-Karabakh.” That is the conclusion by the Organization for Liberation of Karabakh headed by the notorious Akif Naguib.

Well, the reason for Naguib’s frustration is understandable. The reality proved to be “a cold shower” for him. It’s O.K. It is sometimes healthy to freshen up…