"Azerbaijanis and Armenians lived in peace together for centuries - they need to get it back"

The criminal provocation of the supporters of the occupation of Azerbaijani territories, which unfolded the flag of the self-proclaimed, unrecognized 'Nagorno-Karabakh Republic' at the 'Immortal Regiment' march in Moscow yesterday, once again reminded the international community that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict cannot be considered 'frozen'. The occupation regime, worried by the precariousness of the status quo, which has been changed a year ago during the April battles for Karabakh, is ready to take any steps to consolidate the results of its aggression against Azerbaijan for an indefinite period of time.

Inciting hatred between the Azerbaijani and Armenian peoples wherever possible, and above all, in places where prerequisites for their unification are created, is the only way to do it. Hence the flag of the invaders, the symbol of fratricidal war, at the march dedicated to the defenders of the fatherland who died at the front and the veterans who had passed away, who came to the Great Victory together, shoulder to shoulder. It was impossible to choose a more inappropriate and more painful moment for provocation, and its organizers and executors must bear the brunt of the punishment for violating Russian laws, primarily Article 29 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation and Article 282 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

The prosecution of criminals is the task of the authorities, while ordinary people should resist attempts to fuel national hatred in them and understand that such antics are part of the unscrupulous political game of the military aggressor against peace and stability in the Caucasus. It is important to remember that apart from the destructive forces there are creative forces as well, for which the reconciliation of peoples stands in the first place. Vestnik Kavkaza regularly publishes their appeals, since a reasonable, human point of view should be loud and clear in the era of information wars.

Among them - the famous film director, the general director of the 'Mosfilm' film concern Karen Shakhnazarov, who stressed that the Caucasus unites rather than divides people. "The uniqueness of the Caucasus lies in its extraordinary multinationality: hundreds of nationalities live in a very limited space. Such a concentration of different nationalities, languages and customs does not exist anywhere in the world. I'm partly Caucasian, and all of us understand that we are Caucasians, that the Caucasus unites us, and we appreciate this diversity, we appreciate all the nations that live together on this territory," the director noted.

"Caucasians are quite wise people. With such multinationality, they always found ways to coexist peacefully. By the way, this is why such multiconfessionality exists in the Caucasus: both Muslims and Christians live here. In general, Caucasians always find a compromise among each other. If, of course, no one interferes from the outside. I think that wars in the Caucasus break out when someone from abroad somehow stirs them. Caucasians themselves are always able to agree among each other and stop conflicts through peaceful means, despite their temperament. First of all, no one from the outside should interfere in the Caucasus' affairs – no one really fought within the Caucasus itself, actually," Karen Shakhnazarov drew attention.

Therefore, the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a matter of time and a direct Armenian-Azerbaijani dialogue. "If there isn't any interference from outside, then we will be able to find a way out of it. After all, Azerbaijanis and Armenians lived in peace together for centuries. They must return to this. I grew up when it was impossible to imagine any conflict between Armenians and Azerbaijanis, because our relations were friendly and fraternal. It is obvious that we must find a compromise and resolve it. If Armenians and Azerbaijanis will do it by themselves, eventually, it will be possible to find the right solution," the general director of the 'Mosfilm' film concern concluded.

 People's Artist of the USSR Armen Dzhigarkhanyan expressed a similar point of view. "The more friends we have, the great love we feel to each other, the sooner the conflict will be settled. I understand perfectly well that conflicts between states and nations are possible, but I will ask God and Allah for our biggest conflict would be about football, otherwise, we will be split. Some 'good' people would be there, and suddenly we would realize that we hold a gun in our pockets. It should be prevented. I think we are two good nations – Azerbaijani and Armenian," he stressed.

"Each of us should listen to his heart and conscience. If we have disputes, let’s settle them, set questions to each other. People should agree. We have no other variant," Armen Dzhigarkhanyan said.