Foreign

APA Agency has had an exclusive interview with Vasili Sova, Moldovan president’s advisor on reintegration

- What does the administration of the newly-elected president of Moldova think of the relations with Azerbaijan? In general, what do you think of the future of Moldova-Azerbaijan ties?

- At the moment, President Igor Dodon intends to achieve further development of Moldova-Azerbaijan ties. Mr. Dodon has already instructed us to organize his meeting with Azerbaijani President Mr. Ilham Aliyev and inform Baku that he is ready for a meeting at any time suitable for his Azerbaijani counterpart. We always speak with one voice in all international organizations when it comes to Azerbaijan. We do not take steps contradicting Azerbaijan's interests. We will vote for Azerbaijan in all international organizations. Right, there was a case of transfer of weapons by Moldova to the country that unleashed a military conflict against Azerbaijan. This was nothing but an attempt to cast a shadow on Moldova-Azerbaijan ties. Thankfully, this provocation was prevented and Azerbaijan didn’t get to the bottom of the issue. We are convinced that that the Moldovan side will never repeat such an unpleasant situation. Chisinau is interested in organizing a meeting of the Moldovan and Azerbaijani presidents in the near future and believes it will give an impetus to the development of bilateral relations.

- As you mentioned, Moldova and Azerbaijan faced similar conflicts. Some countries of the former Soviet Union have been suffering from such conflicts for more than 25 years. What joint step can these countries take to resolve these problems?

- Our countries have been suffering from separatism for more than 25 years. The main reason was the collapse of the Soviet Union. Frankly speaking, this is not a universal solution to these conflicts. Neither you, nor we can eliminate separatism, unless principal issues are solved. Resorting to the armed conflict would be a disaster and we think peace talks are the only option for resolving conflicts. The protection of human rights is one of the most important factors, but respect towards our territorial integrity is the main condition that is the beginning of everything. The continuation of the conflict leads to disasters. Despite our efforts, we cannot solve it until the major actors in the international arena come to a consensus on the issue among themselves. We expect a more active role from international forces and there is no other way. But, unfortunately, they are still passive about this issue. Just as Azerbaijan is dissatisfied with the OSCE Minsk Group’s activity over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, we, too, are dissatisfied with the "5+2" format. But we must find a common language with the conflicting parties.

- Azerbaijan has suffered from Armenian occupation. There have been mass killings like the Khojaly genocide. But no legal assessment has been given to these acts of Armenia. What common language do you think can be found with Armenia in such a situation?

- It is a fact that Azerbaijan has lost control of a part of its territory as a result of this aggression. As a matter of fact, the enemy captured Azerbaijani lands by military force. The country suffered casualties. It must be given assessment. But any attempt to change the status quo by force could lead to more serious disasters and new victims. In fact, we do not even know which part would come out victorious of this conflict. We have to get out of this situation very carefully. Of course, the status quo needs to be ended, but it must be done without arms. As a politician, I would not like to speak harshly and worsen the situation, but we need to remedy this situation in a subtle way.

We do support the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan under any circumstances. This is our principal position.

- What do you think of the activity of the Moldovan embassy and diaspora in Azerbaijan in terms of bilateral ties?

- I think very highly of it. Azerbaijan’s diplomatic mission in Moldova has always been active and this activity continues into the present day. Personally, I am in close touch with the embassy at a very high level, which is why Moldova has such great interest in cooperation with Azerbaijan. As for the diaspora, I can say that Chairman of the Congress of Moldovan Azerbaijanis Vuqar Novruzov is a close friend of mine and a number of my colleagues’.

The activity of the Azerbaijani community in Moldova has given rise to the development of such friendships. Azerbaijanis in Moldova are active not only in the economic sphere, but also in the social and political spheres.

An APA correspondent is off to Moldova within the framework of the joint project "Azerbaijanis beyond the borders ..." between APA Holding and the State Committee for Work with Diaspora.

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