“The Russian media, Russian Telegram channels are in shock, the world is turned upside down.” Osman Gündüz, head of the Azerbaijan Internet Forum and director of the Multimedia Center, said this in an interview with Medianews.az.
He stated that President Ilham Aliyev’s remarks about the 1920 invasion of Azerbaijan by the Russian army in his interview with the “Al-Arabiya” TV channel created an effect akin to a 9-magnitude earthquake in Russia’s socio-political environment: “Let me remind you that just last month, the President’s statement in Khankandi to Ukrainian journalist Dmitry Gordon ‘Never accept occupation’ was met in Russia like thunder in a clear sky.”
It is now clear that the consistent and explicit messages from the President of Azerbaijan are seriously shaking the political and media elite of Russia. But unfortunately, as evident from the discussions, many are still unaware of the new realities – the realities of Azerbaijan that has liberated its lands from occupation, the newly emerged realities in the region, as well as the consequences arising from the shooting down of the Azerbaijani plane by Russia.”
It should be noted that President Ilham Aliyev’s interview with Saudi Arabia’s “Al-Arabiya” TV channel was broadcast on August 26. In the interview, the head of state also answered a question related to the “Trump route” – the Zangezur corridor.
Medianews.az presents this part of the interview:
Interviewer: Mr. President, one of the main issues arising from this agreement is the realization of the Zangezur corridor, which is Azerbaijan’s desire or which some call the “Trump route.” My question is: “How did the idea of the ‘Trump route’ emerge? What stages does this route promise to Azerbaijan? And of course, this will be realized with your support. Will this passage play an important strategic role between Azerbaijan and Europe?”
President Ilham Aliyev: To answer this question, I need to look back a bit at history and explain to the viewers how Azerbaijan was divided into two parts. This happened in the early months of Azerbaijan’s Sovietization. After the fall of the Russian Empire in 1917, the Azerbaijan People’s Republic was established. This was the first democratic republic in the Muslim world, founded in May 1918. However, it only existed until April 1920 – at that time, the Russian army entered Azerbaijan and occupied it. The Bolsheviks who staged the revolution in 1917 were giving false promises to the people. There were slogans: “factories to the workers, land to the peasants, freedom to the peoples.” We established our own state, but the Bolsheviks took this state away from us. In April 1920, the Russian army entered Azerbaijan and occupied it. Just a few months later – in November of that year – the Soviet Russian government decided to take Zangezur – the area we call “Western Zangezur” – from Azerbaijan and give it to Armenia. Thus, Azerbaijan was divided into two parts: the main part and Nakhchivan. Western Zangezur remained between them.
Naila Qasimova,
Medianews.az
