Peter Tase: "Armenia attempts to increase the level of animosity with Azerbaijan at the maximum height"

After Armenia provoked artillery battles at the border with Azerbaijan on July 12, Azerbaijanis held demonstrations all over the world, calling to end the occupation policy of Yerevan and restore the territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan. In a number of western cities, peaceful protests were met with aggression from the radical part of the Armenian diaspora. Many demonstrators - who proclaimed the universally recognized truth that “Karabakh is Azerbaijan!” - were hospitalized with injuries. Vestnik Kavkaza spoke to the American political analyst Peter Tase about why supporters of the occupation of Karabakh did not find other arguments than violence.

- In your opinion, why were Azerbaijanis, who demanded just solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, attacked in Los Angeles, Brussels and other cities?

- Everything that happens in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan continues to be implemented by the Armenian diaspora abroad, whether they are in London, Los Angeles, Paris, Germany and other countries. The Armenian vandals, the Armenian violent vandals and terrorists in Los Angeles are pretty much the stretched arm of the Armenian government in Yerevan. Why they commit these acts of violence? It is practically​ the core of their ideology, is practically the core of their philosophy, to cause violence, harm and destruction to innocent civilians, to the Azerbaijani territory and to the environmental resources of Azerbaijan.

It is terrible, it should be condemned. it is appalling to see that innocent Azerbaijani civilians were violated and were hit very hard and made to go to the hospital. They were hit so hard that they had to go to the hospital to get proper medical treatment in the hospital. So these are acts of violence that should not be tolerated. And at the same time, the state of California is known to be very liberal state, and the police departments in the state of California, are very weak, especially now, after month and a half after George Floyd’s assassination. I noticed in the video that the police force, first of all, was totally absent, when people were burning Azerbaijani flag and Armenian aggressors were vandalising Azerbaijani civilians. The police force appeared in the scene only twenty minutes later after the clashes were taking place between the Armenian terrorists and innocent Azerbaijani civilians in Los Angeles.

- How do you asses the participation of the ASALA terrorist organisation members in the attack on Azerbaijanis in Los Angeles?​

- The participation of the members of the ASALA terrorist organisation in this violent crime against innocent Azerbaijanis is once again the attempt of​ Armenia to add fuel to fire, to increase at the maximum height the level of conflict, the level of animosity and the level of belligerence of Azerbaijan. The July 12 attacks were not an accident - Armenia commits and implements this armed brutal attacks for only reason - they are prone and support the current status quo, and they are not willing to negotiate. That is the main problem. The international community is at fault because they are not acting accordingly to the international law. The international community is not fulfilling the implementation of four UN Security Council’s​ resolutions. A peace-loving country like Azerbaijan and other countries that go through similar challenges are having a hard time because we have terrorists spread all over the place. Sadly enough, The Republic of Azerbaijan is fighting three wars at the same time: the war with Armenia at the interstate border; the war with Armenian propaganda machine that is manipulating the entire world community; the war that the whole world is also facing is the war against the virus. 

- Experts link these attacks to the amendments that obligate the Department of State and Pentagon to produce a survey and report on Armenian occupation of Azerbaijan territory, murders and deportation of Azerbaijani people that happened during the occupation. In your opinion, does the acceptance of these amendments speak about the activation of the US in the process of Karabakh peaceful resolution?​

- These amendments were promoted by Congressman Chabot. Congressman Chabot is a distinguished member of the Congress, he has been a US Representative for a long time. He is the member of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Foreign Affairs and member of the Committee on the Judiciary. The Department of State has been pretty much silent when it comes to the conflict in Azerbaijan. I have to remind you, that on July 15, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held a press-conference and at that press-conference was not mentioned at all the conflict that was started by Armenia on July 12.

So, I strongly believe that the Department of State needs to keep a closer eye towards the Southern Caucasus region because the Southern Caucasus region is the main source of stability or instability in Europe. If we have the Southern Caucasus region stable and free of conflicts, free of armed aggressions committed by Armenia, the safer will be the European continent.​ This instability, this chaos in the Southern Caucasus is causing great economic impact to Europe, which is larger, the economic impact to Europe caused by the armed conflicts provide by Armenia in the Southern Caucasus has proved to be much more economically harmful than the coronavirus. I strongly believe that the EU, NATO, European Council and European Commission leadership should lead in the ground of peaceful negotiations with Armenia. Armenians are not willing to negotiate, the Armenian government is run by a bunch of terrorists that are not willing to negotiate.

- Why did Armenia make a provocation and attack the state border of Azerbaijan in the Tovuz region on July 12? In your opinion, why did the provocation take place right now and far from the conflict zone in Karabakh?​

- It took place in Tovuz because Tovuz is located nearby the location where the pipelines are crossing to Georgia. The Armenian attack has direct implications and direct impact on the economic progress of the Southern Caucasus, and thus a direct negative consequences for the security and economic​ progress of Europe. Armenia through the July 12 attacks tried to break that paradigm of security in Azerbaijan, they tried to breach the international law, they violated the international law, they breached the resolutions approved by the European Parliament and European Commission. They made an attempt to show to the world that Armenia continues to play the role in the region. However, Armenia is isolated. This is the fact that Armenia is isolated over the last decades and is dependent on Russia.