A conference titled “The Armenia-Azerbaijan
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: main obstacles and prospects of the settlement. View
from Armenia and Azerbaijan” kicked off in Baku November 8.
The event was opened by President of the Azerbaijan
National NGO Forum Rauf Zeyni.
Zeyni noted that leading NGOs, figures of culture and
literature should contribute to the peace talks.
He added that chairperson of Meridian NGO, journalist
Susanna Jaghinyan, writer, publicist and public figure Vahe Avetyan and head of
the Intra-national Liberation Movement Vahan Martirosyan were also invited to
the conference.
Then, a panel session on “Liberation of seven districts
as a favorable condition for settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict”
kicked off within the international conference.
The panel session was moderated by Rizvan Huseynov,
director of the Center for History of the Caucasus.
Huseynov said the ongoing developments in Armenia
testify to political instability in the country.
Addressing the event, Vahe Avetyan said he came to
Baku a week ago.
“I owe you my gratitude for your hospitality. I’ve
come here as both a writer and a citizen. I’ve met a few IDPs and paid respect
to the Khojaly monument, bowing to the souls of the innocent. Politicians, NGO
heads, and activists can come to terms at the end of this forum. There are some
persons here who I’ve been friends with for years. It’s we who can solve this
problem, because the younger generation is furious. First of all, cultural
issues have to be solved. We don’t need international organizations. We can
solve our problems on our own. Peaceable writers and NGOs certainly need to build
relations. This visit is not going to be my last. I met some people from
Khojaly and I got impressed. There is a huge need for mutual visits in order to
achieve peace,” he said.
Chairman of the Monitoring of Detention Facilities
Public Association, Kamil Salimov, mentioned that the occupation of Azerbaijani
lands is big injustice.
“In the Caucasus, whenever there is a standoff people
appeal to a wise, elderly man. In our case, this figure is the UN Security
Council, whose resolutions on liberation of the occupied Azerbaijani lands must
be fulfilled. The granting of highest autonomy to Nagorno-Karabakh within Azerbaijan
is possible,” he added.
Salimov also said the seven occupied districts
surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh must be freed in the first place, noting that
civil society has a big role to play in achieving peace.
Moderator Huseynov said Azerbaijan is interested in
solving the conflict, adding that for the past 25 years the OSCE Minsk Group
co-chairs have failed to come to common ground.
