BLOG POST

15:03

18 May 2021

New stage in the process of formation of the nation

The “Kharibulbul” festival held in Shusha on May 12 was both a cultural and a political event. On the stage of this festival, it was possible to see the culture, literature, costumes, and dances of different ethnic groups of the Azerbaijani people. But, content throughout the entire concert was reflecting a united worldwide and joint living rules of Azerbaijani people….

…We have to support pluralism in every field and expand its application. There is religious tolerance in our country, and the reason is so simple. We have never been a radical of any religious movement, we have lived a radical religious life. It was easy to be tolerant when not radical.

It is true, not all non-radical are tolerant. But one of the main conditions for tolerance is not to take a radical approach to any event. Not being radical in every case does not mean being tolerant, of course.
Tolerance is respect for one's own and others' values.

But, Pluralism cannot be equated with a tolerance of other religions or political views, nations. Enduring is different, to approach with tolerance is absolutely different. View within the framework of cultural pluralism is a part of the process of formation of the nation. By the way, I am against the perception of nationalism as belonging to the same race or ethnicity. Cultural pluralism will give us benefit during the process of formation of the nation that continues. Nationalism and formation of the nation is a mainly cultural event. We are carriers of the same culture as all ethnic peoples living in Azerbaijan. Cuisine, our proverbs, our funerals and weddings, even our jokes do not sharply differ from each other. We represent and glorify one single nation.

Religious, cultural, scientific, political pluralism must develop in harmony. The absence of one of them prevents the ring from being completed.

This approach should show itself in relation to Armenians as well. As a community, we have to now aim to possess rather than expelling.

Dashnak, a terrorist Armenian and our citizen, an Armenian with a tricolor Azerbaijani flag over his head, are different for us.

Our Armenian citizen who will accept to live in Azerbaijan, and accept the Constitution of Azerbaijan must know that his problem is harmful propaganda and pressure from the Armenian Dashnak lobby abroad.

By isolating themselves from Azerbaijani society, our Armenian citizens have become a tool in the hands of other powers. We have established a state, a process of formation of the nation has gone successfully, but our Armenian citizens who kept themselves away from this process went sometimes to the North, sometimes to the West. They were again owned by Azerbaijan. Today, those citizens live in the territory of Azerbaijan right now.

There is no problem in Azerbaijan for anyone to freely express their personal identity and ethnic values. We encourage and promote to live under the umbrella of a single Azerbaijani citizenship. Everyone who knows the tricolor flag as its own is Azerbaijani!