By Hayk Sahakyan
The matter of the return of Armenians to Nagorno-Karabakh should be part of the peace treaty. Ambassador James Warlick, former US Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, stated this on the air of Strength Factor program of Armenian News-NEWS.am.
Azerbaijan is proud to have a multicultural society, President Aliyev highly appreciates Azerbaijan’s openness to all people, regardless of ethnicity and religion. Now Azerbaijan has the opportunity to accept Armenians back to Nagorno-Karabakh, Warlick said.
He added that he knows that it will not be easy, the enmity between Armenia and Azerbaijan continues, but everyone hopes that a moment will come when Armenians will feel safe and secure in returning to Nagorno-Karabakh. The ball is in Aliyev’s court here, the US diplomat said and asked Azerbaijani President Aliyev if he is ready to accept Armenians and protect their rights, this should be an integral part of any peace agreement. And however difficult it may be, Warlick said he believes that Armenians and Azerbaijanis can live side by side peacefully and safely.
The US diplomat stressed that the fact that Aliyev considers the matter closed from the territorial point of view and believes that Nagorno-Karabakh is an inseparable part of Azerbaijan, does not mean that the door is closed for the return of Armenians to Nagorno-Karabakh.
This is something that President Aliyev should welcome, and then he will be considered a statesman who takes such a step. Understandably, Armenians have traditional ties to Nagorno-Karabakh, and the mass evacuation of over 100,000 people is truly a tragedy for Armenia, Warlick said, adding that he is not talking about the territorial issue, but about the people and their wish to return to Nagorno-Karabakh, and that should be part of the discussion on how the Armenian minority can return to Nagorno-Karabakh and live there safely, as many would like that.
