 Absentee conversations of Armenian and Azerbaijan participants in different Internet forums: journalists, political scientists or politicians are characterized by one special feature: Azeri side threatens by the second liberation war in Artsakh, Armenian attempts to intelligently dissuade them from it. At the same time explaining, that the war inevitably will result death and destruction, humanitarian catastrophe and hundreds of thousands of new refugees. Azeris, in turn, juggle by millions of barrels of oil and by billions of cubic meters of gas as indicator of the military power of their state. Such conversations have lasted already for more than fifteen years, and the more intelligent and gently writes and speaks out the representatives (often self-styled) the more "pushes” the other side. Both in direct and figurative sense.
Similar verbal duels could be observed each day. The internal propaganda inspires Azerbaijanis, that the successes of the Defense Army of Highland- Karabakh Republic were due to the help of Russian military subdivisions, and the failures of Azerbaijani warriors were caused by the stupid policy of the pre-Aliyev government of Azerbaijan. This entire propaganda nonsense is circulated in the Internet and the numerous publications; it sinks in souls, and not only Azerbaijani. In this case the main "argument” of Azerbaijan sounds completely anecdotically: it cannot be, because it cannot be. It cannot be so that Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, with the population of 180 thousand people would break seven-million Azerbaijan, cannot H. Aliyev be defeated and so on.
All this not only could happen, but happened. And our case is not the first one in the history. And, apparently, not the last one. We can recall Mongols, who built the largest empire in the history, Ermak Timofeevich who conquered vast territories, and the victory of the small Russian troops over vast Turkish connections. There are more than enough examples from Alexander of Macedon to… Armenian- Tatar (in the sense of Caucasian Tatars) armed clashes and fighting. May be I forgot that, but it would be grateful to that, who will recall at least one more or less meaningful battle between us, when the contrary side celebrated victory. Here, we talk about fight without "intermediaries”.
During XXth century we were in three wars: in 1904-05, 1918-20 and 1991-94. When, during which battle in these wars Transcaucasian Turks independently achieved the success, even local? Could it be the consequence of the shameful defeats of Caucasian Tatars current universal cry about "genocide” of Azerbaijanis in Baku? Armenian servicemen beat them in Baku and in Gandzak, and Shemakha, and Kazakh, and… you’ll find a lot of "mourning” maps of Azerbaijan propaganda. During the first war, and then during the years of the second war, and also during the period of Artsakh war. We are used to beat them, but Azerbaijanis chatter much better us. But, as they say, to each his own.
To be fair we need to recognize that in some sense in the Turkish perception of the military actions results, Azerbaijan side has a "right” to be proud. They managed to cut of thirty thousand of Armenian population in Baku, about the same number of Armenians in Shushi, and more than 60 thousand of Armenians in Nukhi-Aresh region. It means that the number of victims during those wars, with the exception of war in Artsakh from our side has always been much greater. We destroyed armed askers, they massacred innocent civilians. In the Artsakh war, when civilians were deported mainly before the military actions, there were killed four times more Azerbaijanis warriors, than Armenian soldiers.
It is interesting that most of all military and territorial losses Azerbaijan side suffered during Heydar Aliyev’s reign. Approximately counting quantity of Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh, he gathered about the same number of young fellows, dressed them in their uniform, quickly trained them to distinguish the butt of automatic weapon from the lock, and sent them in the Armenian mountains, where they were killed. Then he begged the NKR leaders the truce, more carefully trained his "askers”, bought tanks and aircraft, and, treacherously violated the truce, again sent in Artsakh solders, but this time they were more trained. Results of this adventure were for the Azerbaijani side equally deplorable, but losses this time were even bigger.
However, Aliyev’s adventure led to very positive result for the Armenian side: Armenians and Azerbaijanis no longer live by to close to each other. Azerbaijan lost the possibility "to compensate” defeats on the fronts by the massacre of peaceful Armenian population. After that Armenians did not worry anymore about the compatriots remained on the enemy territory. Henceforth, war can be only "honest”: combatants against combatants.
The result of Artsakh war, as it seems not yet completely comprehended neither by Armenian nor Azerbaijan side. Meanwhile it different from that situation, when Gorbachev could allow himself to threat Armenians by saying: "Have you thought about 200 thousand of Armenians living in Baku?” Nevertheless, we repeat, we continue to talk with the enemy as if there is a sword over the head of the Armenians of Gandzak, Nukhi or Dashkesan.
It is necessary to understand, Azeri Turks do not know the feeling of nobility strong: because they believed by ages, by millennia that the weak one should be cut by the strong one, or in extreme cases, he could be slave. And if you don’t cut, don’t press and don’t degrade, you are weak as an enemy, that what it means for the descendant of the millennia nomad. Otherwise, why won’t you cut me? And then all conversations about the civilization and the world view remain simply conversations.
At the beginning of XXth century philology opened a wonderful human trait: the man hears not what was told, but what his "phonetic ear” is used to hear. For example, Turkish languages don’t accept the combination of consonants at the beginning of word or syllable. Turks, who are not familiar with other languages, simply "don’t hear”, don’t accept this combination, so they add a vowel at the beginning of word or between the consonants. "Pilus”, instead of plus, "Ystakan instead of stakan (glass); there are many other examples. This property "to hear” only familiar combination of sounds are common for all people. Armenians, for example, don’t "hear” sound "F”, Japanese "don’t accept” sound "L” etc.
Philology example was recalled in most direct connection with the difference in outlook of different people. So, we all instinctively judge people on the basis of our own ideological values. And we in exactly same manner receive the aforesaid by the representative of another civilizational world. Almost every one, especially if he grew and was educated in his own ethnic environment operates "civilizational ear”, through which passes any information. But passed through the different "civilizational ear” information often is transformed into something very different from original (or desired) perception.
Thus, statement and threats that are often heard from Azerbaijan, Armenians and Azerbaijanis receive differently by being representatives of different civilizational group. Similarly and vice versa: information from Yerevan differently perceived in Armenia and Azerbaijan. Hence the excessive faith or, on the contrary, absolute lack of confidence in what was heard.
So, calm and adjusted answers of Armenian political leaders, in particular, President S. Sargsyan or Minister of Defense S. Ohanyan to the numerous threats from Azerbaijan are received in Baku as a sign of weakness. "Why Armenia is afraid of war?” This question often heard in the Armenian- Azerbaijani dialogues. And it’s practically impossible to explain to the descendant of nomadic tribe with different from our "civilizational ear” that do not want to war or not to cry hysterically and foaming at the mouth of readiness to fight, not the sign of weakness or fear. His "civilizational ear” does not perceive it. If you are strong, says the average Azeri, you must shout and threaten, and when you have an opportunity you must cut. If you were avoiding it, then it means you are weak and you should beg for mercy. It is different in Armenia, we think of Aliyev's or any other like Abievyh threats according to the proverb: dog that barks does not bite.
For this reason, as it seems, it is necessary by answering to the calls from the Azerbaijan side, to consider "civilizational ear”. Answer that is adequate from our point of view stuck in a sieve of Azerbaijani "civilizational ear” outlook and it does not reach his consciousness. They don’t understand answer like "we have better soldiers”. They just don’t understand: how can be less and better? They don’t "hear” it. They also don’t understand that rich could be weak.
One of the main "arguments” of Azerbaijan: we are strong, because we have oil and gas, there is no way to prove something else: in the nomad world the one who has more cattle is the strongest. And here’s a simple question, why Saudi Arabia is not one of the world superpowers, this question put our opponents to a standstill. Well, this country one of the world leader in the production and sale of oil, it has more gas than Azerbaijan. Note also that the population of Saudi Arabia exceeds the population of Azerbaijan in 4 times, and the territory – in thirty times! And still Saudi Arabia is not a super-power, and it is not even a power, and if we will be entirely impartial, then this state is an ordinary. Something average between Egypt and Sri Lanka.
It is necessary to understand Azerbaijan, and then to talk with it. We must learn to overcome obstacles of "civilizational ear”. It just the same as if for a long time contact with the carriers of another language you will overcome the obstacles of "phonetic ear”. We live close to Transcaucasian Turks and we fight with them for more than 5 hundred years. We should send a clear message: you will never get the Armenian land, don’t even try. But if, in case, you foolishly try to move from words to action and check our fighting abilities then we will negotiate after that on the bridge. The only one that would remain on Kura. For the negotiations about the size of contribution, which would be forced to pay out oil-bearing Azerbaijan, of cause if Azerbaijan will remain after all, re-establish historic boundaries in the east of Armenia.
This language they understand well. At the level of instinct.
Levon MELIK-SHAHNAZARYAN
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