AZERBAIJANI READOUT ON SURPRISE TRACK II DIPLOMATIC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAKU 000836 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/CARC E.O. 12958:N/A TAGS: PREL PBTS PGOV AM RU AJ SUBJECT: AZERBAIJANI READOUT ON SURPRISE TRACK II DIPLOMATIC MISSION TO NK SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED; NOT FOR INTERNET DISTRIBUTION. ¶1. (U) On June 28, Armenian Ambassador to Russia Armen Smbatian and Azerbaijani Ambassador to Russia Polad Bulbuloglu visited the region of Nagorno Karabakh, accompanied by representatives of the Armenian and Azerbaijani intellectual elite. While there, Smbatian and Bulbuloglu reportedly met with Arkadi Ghukasian, president of the so-called "Nagorno Karabakh Republic." The parties traveled to Khankandi and Shusha before moving on to Yerevan to meet Armenian President Robert Kocharian, and traveled to Baku on June 29 to meet Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. ¶2. (SBU) On June 29, Bulbuloglu held a press conference to discuss the trip. Also present were Professor Farhad Badalbayli, the Rector of the Baku Conservatory and a Shusha native, Dr. Kamal Abdulla, Rector of the Slavic University and a Shusha native, Ilham Fataliyev, a prominent urban planning engineer, and Professor Azar Pasha Neymatov, the Chairman of the Theater Professionals Union. Reactions of those present at the press conference were mixed: some, such as representatives from the KLO (Karabakh Liberation Organization) responded very negatively, while others were more receptive to the commentary from Bulbuloglu and his colleagues. Polad Bulbuloglu's Comments on the Trip -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Polad Bulbuloglu spoke first, stating that "Armenians on our territory will eventually be our citizens - as a result, we have to establish a dialogue with them." He emphasized the need for greater contact between the parties to the dispute and representatives of civil society and NGOs, as well as MPs. He pointed out that President Aliyev is committed to settling this conflict peacefully, and said that the route to peace can be found through "our common points, such as the restoration of mosques and other humanitarian activities." In concluding, Bulbuloglu said that President Aliyev made clear to the Armenian delegation that Azerbaijan will "never give up on the territory." Kamal Abdulla's Comments on the Trip -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Dr. Kamal Abdulla, Rector of the Slavic University, spoke second. He said that Bulbuloglu had proposed the trip to him, and that he embarked on it voluntarily. He said that the Armenian delegates led the mission first through Aghdere to Xankendi, and then to Shusha, Yerevan, and finally Baku. Abdulla's conclusion was that they were led through Aghdare, rather than through Aghdam, because Aghdam was in such shocking condition. Upon visiting Shusha, the group found that Shusha was very poorly populated, and that its mosque and other historical sites had been partially or completely destroyed. ¶5. (SBU) Abdulla contrasted the condition of Azerbaijani mosques in the occupied regions to that of an Armenian church in Baku that the Azerbaijani delegates showed to their Armenian counterparts. The Azerbaijani government, Abdulla said, had been careful not to allow this Armenian site to fall into disrepair. There, unlike the Shusha mosques, the building retained its roof, and many original books and articles remained within. Abdulla pointed out that, with respect to the Armenian delegates, he "could see in (their) eyes that (they) know that what was happening in Shusha (to the mosques) was wrong, and they knew it." Abdulla then discussed the Armenian delegation's reaction to the differences between Yerevan, where "only four or five buildings were under construction," and Baku, where "construction was busy and ongoing." ¶5. (SBU) Abdulla said that the Azerbaijani delegates had asked their Armenian counterparts if they had any justification to offer for the "ongoing occupation of the seven regions surrounding former Karabakh." He stressed that the Armenian delegates, on multiple occasions, were unable to offer any reason. ¶6. (SBU) In concluding, Abdulla said that the trip was a "trial trip, to see if we can speak in the same language about issues of importance." He expressed hope that this type of meeting might "bring warmth to the political negotiations," and spoke of the vital importance of "eye to eye, feeling to feeling" interactions between the parties to the conflict. He also noted that Armenian delegates went so far as to blame "the devil between us," an indirect reference to Russia's ongoing involvement in the conflict. Farhad Badalbayli's Comments on the Trip -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Professor Farhad Badalbayli spoke next. He said that "we BAKU 00000836 002 OF 002 need to be pragmatic, we need to explore many possible remedies and solutions, and we need to talk to those living in Nagorno Karabakh." He said that "there's a chance for us to work together instead of fighting," and explained that, as a gesture of good faith, he had offered to the Armenian delegates to build a new school of music in Shusha. He concluded by saying that he was satisfied that President Aliyev had been able to convince the Armenians that Azerbaijan is sincere about finding a solution to the conflict. Ilham Fataliyev's Comments on the Trip -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Ilham Fataliyev, a well-known Azerbaijani urban planner, spoke last. Fataliyev was very emotional while speaking: he recounted stories of the terrible condition of Shusha and of its many mosques and historical sites. He emphasized that it had been many years since any of them had visited Shusha, and expressed great dismay that the family homes of both Polad Bulbuloglu's father (a prominent Azerbaijani musician) and Uzeyir Hajibayev (a prominent Azerbaijani composer) been looted and almost completely destroyed. Fataliyev said that it was as if "the city (of Shusha) was no longer alive - it no longer had any breath." Questions and Answers -------------- ¶9. (SBU) The group fielded several questions at the conclusion of the press conference. In responding to one question about the meeting with Arkadi Ghukasian, president of the so-called "Nagorno Karabakh Republic," Bulbuloglu noted that Ghukasian had been quite diplomatic, and had not acted or spoken provocatively. Bulbuloglu said that it was his personal opinion that the parties should involve the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh more in the ongoing discussions. However, Bulbuloglu stressed that Ghukasian is not a "president," and should be treated as a "community leader" in negotiations. ¶10. (SBU) In response to other questions, Bulbuloglu and the other delegates emphasized that President Aliyev had indeed been aware of the trip ahead of time, and stressed that there was "no chance that this could have happened without the President's knowledge and consent." The delegates also noted that they had traveled through Azerbaijan rather than traveling through Armenia, as most foreign visitors to Nagorno Karabakh do. Moreover, the delegates expressed surprise that Armenians in Shusha spoke primarily Azerbaijani, and speculated that these people in Shusha might be under some pressure from the Armenian leadership to stop speaking Azerbaijani. Reactions from NKLO Representatives -------------- ¶11. (SBU) Two representatives of the Karabakh Liberation Organization (KLO) -- including KLO President Akif Naghi -- attended the press conference and tried repeatedly to disrupt the event. At one point, Naghi began to yell at Dr. Kamal Abdulla. A heated exchange ensued, but when police officers attempted to remove Naghi from the room, Abdulla prevented them from doing so, and then changed seats so as to sit next to Naghi after the policemen departed. Later on, Naghi began shouting again, and was removed from the room. Naghi was then detained for one hour before being released. DERSE