28.11.2012“THE 35-KILOMETER BORDER WITH ARMENIA IS AS IMPORTANT FOR IRAN AS IT IS FOR ARMENIA”
Robert Margarian
Political scientist, analyst Robert Margarian from Iran was one of the participants of the Pan-Armenian Conference of Political Scientists and International Relations Experts. In his speech, the analyst touched upon the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict from the legal angle and presented both the official position on the issue and the society’s views. We present “Hayern Aysor”’s interview with Robert Margarian.
“Hayern Aysor”: Mr. Margarian, what is the direction of your analyses?
Robert Margarian: I mainly analyze the South Caucasus, Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, which spark interest in Iran.
“Hayern Aysor”: During the conference, you delivered a speech on “The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: Iran’s views”. Could you tell us a little about that?
R. M.: In my speech, I presented the positions of the Iranian government and scientific-research centers on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the views of the masses. As a friendly country, Iran has always had a positive stance on the Karabakh issue, but it’s obvious that it can’t raise its voice against many policies that are led.
These days there is a lot of talk about the Madrid Principles. Iran is especially sensitive to the point of the negotiations related to the removal of the Armenian forces from the liberated territories and replacing them with peacekeeping forces. We are all aware that Iran doesn’t tolerate the presence of such forces near its borders, and the fulfillment of such a point may have a negative impact on Armenian-Iranian relations. Thus, we have to focus on this issue.
Throughout the past 21 years, we have always known about Iran’s significance for Armenia. The small border, with its 35-kilometer territory, is Armenia’s most reliable border that leads to the outside world. This is the case for Iran as well. With the sanctions that have already applied against Iran, the small, 35-kilometer border is as important for Armenia as it is for Iran.
As for Iran’s scientific research centers, most of them follow and defend Iran’s official position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and try to emphasize the legitimacy of Iran’s official position through research on strategies.
“Hayern Aysor”: What do the masses think?
R. M.: You are aware that there are nearly 20 million Azeri living in Iran, primarily in the bordering regions and that they are right next to Armenia and Karabakh. Most of them have relatives in Azerbaijan, are in contact with them and it’s obvious that they are impacted by Azerbaijan’s propaganda. But fortunately, they present themselves as Iranians and that hatred can’t be seen in Iran’s rational policy. However, sometimes there are expressions, starting from the community and ending with the expressions made by people at a Friday prayer, and those people are considered an important audience.
The society also believes that Azerbaijan is considered an Iranian territory and is called Northern Iran. It’s obvious that those with that view consider Karabakh a part of Azerbaijan, which in turn forms a part of Iran and was split from Iran in the beginning of the 19th century in accordance with the Turkmencha Treaty.
“Hayern Aysor”: Why do you think such conferences are important?
R. M.: During conferences, different people express different views and ideas that can help form new ideas. For instance, somebody said we shouldn’t pursue the Genocide issue, and that was seriously opposed. Conferences help us conduct new analyses and hold more discussions in the future.
“Hayern Aysor”: The conference included three main panel sessions on “The challenges facing Armenia in the globalizing world”, “The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Armenian political thought” and “Remembrance policy and the Armenian Genocide: Current challenges and risks”. Which of these topics would you set aside?
R. M.: All the topics are important. The Armenian Genocide issue and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict form a part of our national identity and they go hand-in-hand. They are both of special significance and include different spheres. They are the main points that we have to take into account in our strategy and move forward with that.
“Hayern Aysor”: What do you think has been done so far? In which issue have we achieved success?
R. M.: We have achieved quite a lot of success in regard to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Even though Nagorno-Karabakh doesn’t have a specific legal status and isn’t internationally recognized, it has been developing over the past 20 years and has its independence and economy. I think our efforts for Nagorno-Karabakh have been fruitful to a certain extent. The important step is the last one, that is, international recognition. If we gain international recognition, we can consider the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict over.
As for the Armenian Genocide issue, there is still a lot to do. Perhaps it is because the issue of the Armenian Genocide has been discussed more since the 1960s. In this case, we are a little late for pursuing the issue and have to put in a lot of effort.
http://en.hayernaysor.am/1353572404
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