RIGHT ACTION

- What are your thoughts on the recent incident when the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan shot down the Armenian Military Helicopter?

The incident of November 12th, 2014, was the first of its kind since the signing of the ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 1994. The Armenian combat helicopter (Mi-24) was heavily armed and had violated the airspace of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Shooting this helicopter down was the right action undertaken by the armed forces of Azerbaijan, it is customary for Armenian armed forces to violate international law, bilateral agreements signed by both countries and undertake illegal incursions (raids and intrusions) in the territory of Azerbaijan. Indeed, it is very difficult to deal with governments that have a medieval mindset towards resolving territorial disputes in the third millennium. When Dr. Walter Schwimmer, Former Secretary General of the Council of Europe, requested to Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan to withdraw his troops from the invaded territory of Azerbaijan, Mr. Sargsyan responded: "Why would I withdraw from this territory, I have won the war? When dealing with leaders such as Mr. Sargzyan, it is difficult to make progress towards a peaceful solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh protracted conflict which is taking hostage the economic development of the Southern Caucasus and above current history has shown that Armenian economy is bogged down and is deteriorating due to Yerevan's belligerent, war mongering attitude against its peace loving neighbor, the prosperous democratic government of Azerbaijan. On November 13, one day after the Armenian helicopter being shot-down, the Armenian head of state observed military exercises as part of the joint operational-tactical military exercises of armed forces' of Armenia and "NKR" namely "Unity-2014." On the same vein, another gross mistake was made by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE - Minsk Group who failed, once again, to condemn the Armenian Military exercises in Nagorno-Karabakh and also did not condemn the recent violation of the Airspace of Azerbaijan committed by the Armenian military helicopter which was fully loaded with ammunitions and three military personnel on board.

- The United States Government has expressed legitimate concern about the downing. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said the incident was "yet another reminder" of the need to reduce tensions and respect a cease-fire in the region. Some other states and organizations have issued the same statements, but none of them mention the main problem which is causing victims on both sides - by having the presence of Armenian Military Forces on the occupied lands of Azerbaijan. Isn't this "blindness" and a double standard policy? Why can't we have an international community that tackles the core of the problem and advocate the truth-approach in ensuring the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan?

There is definitely a double standard behavior by the international community towards handling and solving the 26 year-long conflict of Nagorno-Karabakh which only during 1988-1994 caused more than 30 thousand military casualties on the Azerbaijani side and displaced more than 1 million civilians from their territories inside Azerbaijan. The US State Department Statement is superficial and has an ambivalent content. The US Government must appoint a Special Presidential Envoy to contribute towards a peaceful solution of the Nagorno - Karabakh conflict, just like there is a State Department envoy for six party talks; Sudan and South Sudan negotiations; the State Department even has a Special Adviser and a Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues. The protracted conflict of Nagorno-Karabakh is perhaps the most important issue in the cross roads of Eurasia and deserves more attention from the State Department and the Pentagon. It is unfortunate to observe that the recent peace talks held in France, on October 27-28, 2014, are undermined and Armenian leaders are doing everything possible to delay and hinder a peaceful solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem.

- The Co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk group coming from three countries (the United States, Russia and France) as well the EU leaders have stated many times that the status-quo in Karabakh is unacceptable. What else should happen to push these countries to act finally to this direction and help to solve the problem?

European Union and the European Commission must pay more attention to the recent intermittent turmoil and escalation of military incidents between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The OSCE-Minsk group has failed in its mission, in the last decade we have seen an unprecedented grid lock and as a result a new international body such as a special commission appointed by the United Nations Security Council must lead the negotiations. Since its creation in 1992, the OSCE-Minsk Group has not made a significant impact towards bringing a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh crisis; the present status of this conflict is in a stalemate. Additionally, we live in a multi-polar world and other countries beyond Europe, besides France, United States and Russia, must be involved in the peaceful solution to this problem. It would be very beneficial for a peaceful solution if the UN, United States and NATO send military observers to the region, hosted by Azerbaijani Armed forces (on one side) and Armenian Armed Forces (on the other side) in order to see first who is the provocateur of such incidents which have happened with a greater frequency during this year, if we compare it with previous years.

The military forces of Azerbaijan must continue to be vigilant to defend the territorial integrity of their nation. The internationally community including European NATO and the upcoming Eurasian Union, must exert pressure to Yerevan and convince Armenian leaders that the only way to have place in the region is to return to Azerbaijan every inch of the territory occupied by Armenian forces. It is clear that Armenia for a quarter of a century has been interfering in the domestic and internal matters of Azerbaijan and even killing thousands of civilians in the neighboring villages in the territory of Azerbaijan where Armenian forces are illegally operating and conducting reconnaissance missions against Azerbaijan's Forces.

As the final point, I would like to reiterate that Armenian government leaders and President Sargsyan must look towards a brighter future for their own nation and the Caucasian region overall. If Armenian leaders have no dreams for peace we will never be able to see peace in Nagorno-Karabakh for a long time. On the other hand I confident that the nation of Azerbaijan dreams about peace every night and every Azerbaijani citizen are ripping the fruits of their successful national economy and have embraced advanced Western European Standards of living, even though Azerbaijan's territory has been occupied for decades.