Justin Amler, Australian writer and commentator on international issues gave interview to Eurasia Diary concerning the settlement of Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Eurasia Diary: In point of your view, how should Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict be settled?
Justin Amler: Over the last quarter century, Armenia has never made any serious diplomatic statement or effort to end the conflict by accepting international recognition that Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan. They have, in fact, done the opposite by ignoring international law, judgments and rulings on the matter which clearly states that Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan. In addition to this, they have built up a huge military presence and refused to make any compromise. While Azerbaijan has brought ideas to the table, Armenia hasn't, indicating they aren't interested in resolving the conflict. Only when Armenia withdraws its forces, accepts international rulings that Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan, can make any serious talks about the future of that region take place.
Eurasia Diary: What is your opinion about the role of the OSCE Minsk Group in the resolution of conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh between Armenia and Azerbaijan?
Justin Amler: I think that while the principle of it is fine, it has been a largely ineffective organisation, as we can see from the current situation. It has existed for 25 years, no real progress has been made to resolve the dispute.
Eurasia Diary: The United States and the European Union have imposed sanctions against Russia, because of violation of territorial integrity of Ukraine. However, 20 % of territory of Azerbaijan still is under Armenian occupation. Neither the European Union, nor the USA urge Armenia to withdraw its troops from occupied territories. From your opinion, what is main reason for this unfair policy?
Justin Amler: There is no real difference between the two situations, as they are both considered violations of the territorial integrity of another country. I think with Nagorno Karabakh, there was an over-reliance on the Minsk group to resolve this conflict, but that group has proven to be ineffective. I also think that because it was considered a ‘frozen conflict’, it has largely been ignored and placed on the diplomatic backburner. It is important to note though that the US considers Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan, and no any nation recognises it as independent.
Eurasia Diary: Thousands of cultural and religious monuments had been destroyed in invaded territories of Azerbaijan. What can you say about this?
Justin Amler: I think the destruction of any religious or cultural monument, be it Christian, Jewish, Muslim is not only a crime against humanity, but a crime against history itself. It is a method of wiping out the history of a people and their beliefs, which deprives all of humanity of our past. Unfortunately, we see that it happening all too often. In more recent times, we have witnessed Taliban’s destroying 1700 old statues of Buddha and also we’ve seen ISIS continue their destruction of ancient Christian sites and Muslim sites.
Eurasia Diary: How can you analyze economic and cultural differences between Azerbaijan and Armenia?
Justin Amler: Although Azerbaijan is considered an energy powerhouse with numerous resources, it has also built a vast and increasingly profitable industry in non-oil related sectors, such as communications, agriculture, technology, sciences, tourism, military and other. There has also been a definite emphasis on culture and education.
On the Armenian side, the biggest barrier to preventing their economic development is Nagorno-Karabakh. Their continued occupation and war against Azerbaijan has meant it has been left out of all the major economic development projects in the region, while other countries in the region such as Georgia, Turkey, Russia and Azerbaijan have seen huge benefits, including billions of dollars worth of oil projects, natural gas projects, infrastructure development and others. Another impediment to Armenian development is the ceding of its sovereignty to Russia. What this effectively means is that any serious investors will have understood that they are effectively dealing with the Russians rather than the Armenians.
Interview : Yunis Abdullayev
Editor: Taleh Guliyev
