Eurasia Diary presents an interview with political scientist and journalist Malik Ayub Sumbal.
- Dear Malik, just a few days ago there was news in the media about the upcoming book "Tovuz to Karabakh" (From Tovuz to Karabakh), on which you are working so hard now. As I understand it, this is a book about the Karabakh conflict - about the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia. I would personally like to hear from you about your work.
Malik Sumbal: In fact, I started working on this book in 2015. At that time, I already managed to visit almost all regions of the country: in Terter, Barda, Ganja, Fizuli, etc.
I even specially visited the border areas, where traces of Armenian aggression were clearly visible. I'm a journalist, so I followed everything that was happening very closely. A little later, I decided to write a book about this, referring to the notes that I made while in Azerbaijan. I really wanted to tell the whole world about the truth that I saw with my own eyes. The world must know the truth about Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani people, must know how this country is organized, its way of life. At some point I was involved in several projects at once, I postponed the writing of this book. But, after the famous events of the past year, I am determined to finish this book and publish it. I repeat once again that people should know the truth. Azerbaijan patiently waited for the return of its lands for a very long time and went to its goal.
And I would also like to note one interesting fact about my book, I did not try to write only about the conflict, highlight the problem of refugees. It was important for me to show the rich culture of the country, write about the economy and its development. There is a lot in this book. I hope that it will be released in two months.
Azerbaijan is an amazing country that I miss very much. The people of Azerbaijan are very tolerant, hospitable, attentive and very friendly.
If you should want to know more about a country, always pay attention to the details.
By Jamila Chebotareva
Translated by Elnur Enveroglu