A well-known veteran of the First Karabakh War, Lieutenant Colonel Ilham Ismayil considers it inevitable for Azerbaijan and Armenia to undertake a territorial exchange.
Ilham Ismayil, born in 1957, graduated from the journalism faculty of Baku State University and the Minsk Higher Course of the USSR State Security Committee. He served as an operational agent and chief operational agent in the Ganja City Department of the State Security Committee (National Security Ministry). He was the head of the Shamakhi and Goychay divisions of the National Security Ministry and a department head in the ministry.
Ilham Ismayil actively participated in the operations to liberate the Ganjabasar region from Armenian occupation in 1990-1991 and also fought in some parts of the border with Armenia.
Since 1995, he has been engaged in socio-political activities. He is recognized as an expert in security matters.
In his statement to Medianews.az, Ilham Ismayil emphasized that the main problem between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which have decided to make peace, is the determination of the state borders.
On August 8, the text of the agreement on peace and the establishment of interstate relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia was initialed. According to the document, the parties confirm that the borders between the republics of the Soviet Union, which collapsed in 1991, have turned into the international borders of the respective independent states and are recognized as such by the international community; they recognize each other's sovereignty, territorial integrity, inviolability of international borders, and political independence.
Considering the borders established during the Soviet period, four villages of Azerbaijan (Kerki in the Sadarak district, Sofulu, Barkhudarly, and Yukhari Askipara in the Gazakh district) are under Armenian control. The Bashkend village of the Gadabay district, however, belonged to the Armenian territory in Soviet times. In other words, according to the Soviet-era borders, one village of Armenia is under Azerbaijan's control.
All the villages of Kerki, Sofulu, Barkhudarly, and Yukhari Askipara are surrounded by Armenian territory, whereas Bashkend village is surrounded by Azerbaijani territory.
Speaking to Medianews.az, Ilham Ismayil stated that maps from 1975 of the Soviet period are usually used in delimitation and demarcation works between Azerbaijan and Armenia: “Until now, a bit more than 12 kilometers of the border has been delimited and demarcated referring exactly to these documents. The subsequent border clarification work will also be carried out on the same principles and legal basis. Following these principles raises serious questions about how the fate of our four villages and Armenia’s one village will be resolved. In my opinion, the best option here, according to international practice, is a land exchange.
Otherwise, the Bashkend village, which was taken with heavy fighting in 1992, will have to be given to Armenia, meaning our country will have to agree to the creation of an Armenian enclave in our territory. We, on the other hand, will have enclaves in Armenian territory, which could cause very complicated situations and serious problems in the future.
The roads to our seven villages pass through the Bashkend territory. If Armenia gains control of Bashkend, in the future, they will be able to provocate us whenever they wish.
Or take the village of Kerki, which is more than 12 kilometers away from the state border and has no physical connection with the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, completely surrounded by Armenian territory. Can we be sure that Armenia will never pose any danger or threat to this village or its residents? No. There are revanchist forces in Armenia and there will be in the future. They can always take advantage of Kerki’s geographical situation to provoke. The same can be said about Sofulu, Barkhudarly, and Yukhari Askipara villages.”
Ilham Ismayil noted that the area of Bashkend village is approximately equal to the combined area of Kerki and Yukhari Askipara villages: “It is possible to effectively exchange these two villages with Bashkend. Sofulu and Barkhudarly villages can be integrated into the borders of Azerbaijan. Armenia can give us the area located between Sofulu and Barkhudarly villages in Azerbaijan, and we can separate the same amount of land from these villages’ areas and hand it over to Armenia.
It is clear that I put forward all these proposals out of necessity to protect our population, territory, and borders from prospective threats. If tomorrow even a single hair of an Azerbaijani in any enclave village is harmed, our soldiers and officers, as well as our civilians in the nearby villages, will immediately break through the Armenian border. This could result in very severe consequences. If we are going for peace today, we need to think about real guarantees and not be deluded into believing that Armenia will adhere to the ceasefire and not violate the peace agreement, and that the revanchists will not try to use opportunities to provoke.
At the same time, these proposals are not taken out of thin air; mutual land exchange has been implemented in international practice. For instance, the fate of over 50 enclaves between India and Bangladesh was resolved through land exchange using a method similar to what I am suggesting. Such cases have occurred in European countries as well. The best option to avoid and prevent future provocations is to incorporate enclaves into one’s borders through land exchange.
Because I do not believe our compatriots can live comfortably, securely, and safely in villages surrounded on all sides by Armenian territory. I cannot trust that. Therefore, I think that we should reach an agreement with Armenia so that neither they have enclaves in our territory nor we have enclaves in theirs, and end this dangerous prospect once and for all through land exchange.”
Ilham Ismayil quoted President Ilham Aliyev’s speech at the III Shusha Global Media Forum in July this year: “The head of state stressed that during several meetings with the Armenian side, he told them: ‘You live your life, we live ours.’ As the President noted, only under such conditions can a gradually acceptable situation arise in the South Caucasus.”
According to Ilham Ismayil, the way to achieve the formula “You live your life, we live ours” and to live normally, peacefully, and calmly is by thoroughly resolving the enclave issue.
Nailə Qasımova,
Medianews.az
