AZERBAIJANI READOUT ON SURPRISE TRACK II DIPLOMATIC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAKU 000836

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SUBJECT: AZERBAIJANI READOUT ON SURPRISE TRACK II DIPLOMATIC
MISSION TO NK

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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

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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