Armenian and Azerbaijani senior officials have moved to reduce tensions that erupted following an outcry in Armenia after a visit by foreign diplomats to Karabakh and surrounding regions, and a subsequent reaction in Azerbaijan.
Armenia’s Security Council Secretary Alen Simonyan has said that following the events that took place at Gandzasar Monastery, he spoke by phone with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s Assistant Hikmet Hajiyev.
Responding to a question about whether he plans to publicly respond to Hajiyev’s statements regarding Gandzasar, Simonyan said at a press briefing that not all statements necessarily need to receive a public response.
“I think everything has been said, and not everything that is said always needs a response. We need to realize whether this will change something or not. I can say something sharp now, respond in some way, we can all feel good for 15 minutes, but by doing so I could harm the negotiations,” Simonyan said.
He stressed that the peace process requires a cautious approach.
“We have said 100 times that peace should be treated carefully, and this is the case when that care needs to be demonstrated,” the Security Council Secretary noted.
Simonyan confirmed that following what happened in Gandzasar, he discussed the issue with Hikmet Hajiyev by phone.
“Yes, I spoke with him after that, let’s not tell the details. We are constantly in contact. He has my phone number, I have his phone number. You could say we talk to each other every two days,” he said.
According to him, concerns were also raised during these contacts so that such events would not harm the Armenian-Azerbaijani process.
“I also expressed other concerns that everything should be done so that such events do not suddenly interfere with the process, and I still think that such events should not interfere,” Simonyan said.
Asked by a journalist why the Azerbaijani side does not show the same caution, Simonyan replied that he is responsible only for the Armenian side’s position.
“I am not responsible for them, nor do I want to be responsible for them. We neither have their eyes to see how they see the situation, nor do they have our eyes,” he said.
Asked whether the Azerbaijani side acknowledges its mistake, Simonyan said that the two sides have their own views.
“There is their view and there is our view. The meaning of my work is to first not bring these views together and make them clash with each other. It is not right to put our identity, peace and the processes that are taking place into conflict with one another,” he noted.
Simonyan again added that a harsh public response may be satisfying for a domestic audience, but may not help the peace process.
“I can answer now in such a way that you all say, ‘Wow,’ but that will not benefit this much-desired peace,” the Security Council Secretary concluded.
commonspace.eu is carrying op-eds by Armenian and Azerbaijani writers giving different views.
to read Johnny Melikyan op-ed click here
to read Vasif Huseynov's op-ed click here
