The maximalist position of Azerbaijan, which poses a constant and fundamental threat to the peace process, remains unchanged, despite the recent deals between the parties, said the spokesperson for Armenian MFA Anna Naghdalyan, commenting on the statement of the Azerbaijani at the meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club
“The maximalist position of Azerbaijan, which represents a constant and fundamental threat to the peace process, remains unchanged, despite the recent agreements between the parties, which involve preparing the peoples for peace,” she said adding that the formula proposed by the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan is directed specifically at the practical implementation of this, according to which the settlement option should be acceptable to the peoples of Armenia, Artsakh and Azerbaijan.
This formula is aimed at making the idea of compromise acceptable to all parties, involving society in creating an atmosphere conducive to peace, and strengthening the responsibility and accountability of leaders to their peoples.
Responding to this proposal by the Armenian side, the President of Azerbaijan did not mention the need for a peaceful settlement for the peoples of the region, but even questioned the existence of the Artsakh people living in their historical homeland. To justify maximalist approaches, Azerbaijan constantly appeals to the rhetoric of dehumanizing Artsakh and the entire Armenian people. One of the manifestations of this is the pardon by the Azerbaijani President of Ramil Safarov, the glorification of the April aggression against the civilian population of Artsakh and the military, the de-Armenization of the Armenian lands occupied by Azerbaijan and the destruction of any traces of the historical presence of Armenians in Azerbaijan.
The maximalist approaches of Azerbaijan and the dehumanization of the people of Artsakh pose a threat to the existence of the people of Artsakh. Effective opposition to this is the task of all Armenians, which is best formulated in the commitment of the Armenian authorities to the people of Artsakh announced on August 5 in Stepanakert. Armenia is confident that a peaceful settlement of the problem and the victory of democracy in the region have no alternative, and from this point of view, it is important to fulfill the obligation to prepare peoples for peace, Anna Naghdalyan added.
