By Ambassador Varuzhan Nersesyan
If Azerbaijan were to immediately withdraw from the sovereign Armenian territory that it occupies and promise to halt further aggression the path could be cleared toward a comprehensive peace settlement with Armenia.
But you wouldn’t know that reading the recent op-ed in The Jerusalem Post by Azerbaijan’s ambassador to the UK (November 24) who avoids any mention that his country has attacked Armenia several times since 2020, the latest aggression just two months ago, and over that time it has seized around 140 square kilometers of Armenian territory.
The article starts with a reference to the Abraham Accords of 2020 and the full normalization of relations between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. It states that although the context in the Caucasus is different, “a similar emphasis on the dividends of peace stands as a key element in normalization between Armenia and Azerbaijan.”
Making comparisons to the Abraham Accords is a curious choice. None of the signatories occupies the land of another and since its signing two years ago the fruits of those accords make for interesting reading. Before referring to them it would make sense for Azerbaijan to mention that the UAE’s Education Ministry is preparing Holocaust learning materials for primary and secondary school students, and last year the region’s first Holocaust memorial exhibition opened in Dubai.
Thus, using the Abraham Accords as a misdirection, he tries, rather transparently, to drive an artificial wedge between Armenia and Israel: two ancient civilizations, both genocide survivor states, who continue to face existential threats to their survival. The fact of the matter is that Azerbaijan embodies the very values that are in contradiction with the letter and spirit of the Abraham Accords.