If we perceive the Armenians of Karabakh as our own citizens...

On October 2, the Azerbaijani government unveiled its reintegration plan. The plan notes that equality of rights and freedoms is guaranteed, including the safety of everyone regardless of ethnicity, religion or language.

The reintegration plan includes several key components. The section "Legal and administrative sphere" states that the administration in the areas with the residence of Armenians will be carried out through special representatives appointed by the President of Azerbaijan. In addition, local residents can participate in the activities of these special missions. At the same time, representative bodies of local residents, known as municipalities, will be formed through elections in accordance with the legislation of Azerbaijan. Citizenship issues will be resolved in accordance with established procedures and in accordance with the Constitution and legislation of the country.

As part of the "Security Sphere", the plan concerns the disarmament and demobilization process, including the collection of weapons from local residents. The responsibility for maintaining public order and ensuring the safety of the residents of the district lies with the internal affairs bodies of Azerbaijan. Residents may also be involved in the activities of these internal affairs bodies.

The "Economic Sphere" sets out provisions on access to education, healthcare, utilities, communications and other services. It includes a package of incentive measures, such as tax and customs benefits. The national currency of Azerbaijan will be fully adopted, as well as preferential loans, subsidies and access to financing for business will be provided. Farmers will receive subsidies and will be exempt from all taxes, with the exception of land tax. Property issues will be regulated in accordance with the legislation of Azerbaijan.

The "Social sphere" section of the plan emphasizes that residents will have the right to social services and employment programs within the Karabakh and East Zangezur economic districts.

The section "Culture, Education and Religion" highlights the rights of residents to protect and develop their culture and ethno-cultural characteristics. Freedom of religion and protection of cultural and religious monuments are ensured. The plan also creates opportunities for the use of the Armenian language.

Is this plan attractive to Karabakh Armenians?

Rusif Huseynov, the head of the Topchubashov Center, told  ASTNA about this.

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Question: On October 2, the Government of Azerbaijan has published a reintegration plan. How attractive is it for Armenians indicated in the plan?

Answer: Actually, in connection with the reintegration plan as a whole, we now have only certain guesses and ideas. Because the details are known only to a limited number of people. Therefore, I answer this question in accordance with my own considerations. The overwhelming majority of Armenians have already left Karabakh. This means that without familiarization with the reintegration plan, the overwhelming majority of Armenians, due to panic, mutual distrust, because of all these problems that arose as a result of the war, left the country not to live in Karabakh. Therefore, there is no one-way answer to this question. Let's formulate the question like this. Can what is indicated in the plan be attractive to Armenians and return some of them? Most likely, in the process of negotiations with representatives of the opposite side, this issue will be returned to. There are many points to be discussed here. For example, first of all, it should be noted that the reintegration plan of the Azerbaijani side includes people registered in Khankendi and its surroundings, in the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region (NKAO) before 1989. The reintegration plan is not applicable to persons who later resettled in this territory, especially those sent to Karabakh from the diaspora, who are considered illegal residents by Azerbaijan. These people have property that they left in Karabakh. Their future fate should be clarified. Let's see how these issues will be discussed during the negotiations. Will some  Armenians become the owner of this property after returning? Or will they come back to sell it and leave? Or maybe the Azerbaijani side will simply privatize it? All this raises questions for me, too.

Question: Is this plan too late? Wouldn't it be better in 2020, right after the 44-day war, to develop such a plan, present it to the Karabakh Armenians and work with them?

Answer: After 2021, foreign diplomats and experts began to be interested in whether the Azerbaijani side had any kind of reintegration plan. They called on the Azerbaijani government to publish this plan. However, the Azerbaijani side was in no hurry to do this. Because they wanted to convey the plan directly to the representatives of the Karabakh Armenians at meetings with them. Because there was such a case. When Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili unveiled a plan for the reintegration of Abkhazia in the mid-2000s, the Abkhaz side simply rejected it. Many points of the proposed plan remained on paper. The Azerbaijani side was also waiting for the most appropriate moment to publish the prepared plan and prevent its rejection by the Karabakh Armenians. And after the September escalation, when the Karabakh Armenians had no other choice but to surrender and sit down at the same table with Azerbaijan, they were presented with a reintegration plan. The logic lies in this.

Question: The plan contains points that were ambiguously received by the Azerbaijanis. Tax and customs privileges, preferential loans, subsidies to farmers and their exemption from all taxes except land tax, and so on. They think there are too many of these privileges. What do you think about this opinion and these privileges?

Answer: Our center at one time also witnessed similar concessions in the study of some theses on reintegration. For example, in the Croatian model of the mid-1990s, Croats also provided such tax and customs benefits, utility benefits and much more to people living in this conflict zone after the destruction of the separatist regime. I think that not only Armenians living in Karabakh, but also ethnic Azerbaijanis will receive similar benefits. Whether we want it or not, this whole region is a former conflict zone and it needs to be revived. Therefore, such privileges are actually necessary. Perhaps our compatriots, fellow countrymen living in other parts of the country, may be dissatisfied with some issues. But it is also necessary to take into account the bitter truth - certain compromises are necessary for the revival of Karabakh in general. And concessions can be associated with this kind of material problems.

Question: One of the main subjects of discussion is the possibility of using the Armenian language provided for in the plan. In what form will it be? Like in Soviet times or like other national minorities?

Answer: Again, you should turn to other reintegration cases. However, Azerbaijan is likely to choose its own unique path. Because it would be wrong to translate the mechanism of integration of other countries into the context of Azerbaijan. However, for example, I want to return to the Croatian model again. There in Croatia, also within the framework of cultural autonomy, the opportunity was created for local Serbs to use their own language. This included schools. Both languages were used in street names, both Croatian and Serbian and much more. The Azerbaijani side is likely to create opportunities for Armenians related to the realization of their cultural rights and their development. We can call this cultural autonomy. Let no one be confused by the word autonomy here. The talk is about territorial or political autonomy. For example, Azerbaijanis, Armenians, and Georgians have cultural autonomy under the Russian government. This means that this community will have certain public associations, NGOs. He will raise certain issues before the Azerbaijani government. In municipalities and villages where they make up the majority, they will have the right to maintain their religious temples, perform religious rituals, have certain libraries in their native language, and so on. And this should be perceived as something natural.

It should be noted that due to Armenian separatism in Karabakh, there is a certain phobia in Azerbaijan. There is a certain suspicion that granting certain rights and benefits to Armenians may cause some problems in the future. At a later stage, if we choose the path of reintegration, cohabitation, it would be advisable to provide certain concessions. These trade-offs include the issues I just mentioned. Availability of books, libraries, certain textbooks in their native language, the ability to perform religious rites. Representatives of the older generation know the Azerbaijani language. Those who do not know can also be provided with some services in Russian or Armenian, so that, at least, the documentation is processed. All this should be understood as concessions of the transition period. There are few Armenians in Karabakh who have applied for Azerbaijani citizenship. If this model of reintegration is successful, it is possible that in the future those who have some property will return to Karabakh from Armenia. If we announce the end of the conflict to the whole world and recognize the Karabakh Armenians (registered in the former NKAO) as our citizens, then we cannot meet them with weapons in our hands. The approach here should be different.

Question: About 100 Karabakh Armenians have already applied in connection with the reintegration process. According to Armenia, more than 100 thousand Armenians left Karabakh, and according to Russia - 98 thousand. Will it be possible to return them with this plan? Or will Azerbaijan be accompanied by accusations of ethnic cleansing and deportation?

Answer: For 30 years there has been practically no communication between the two peoples, societies. Moreover, mutual distrust reigned. At the same time, it is necessary to take into account the current political and psychological state of the Armenians living in Karabakh from 2020 to the present. In addition, it should be noted that immediately after the September campaign, when the separatist regime had not yet dissolved itself, the remaining Armenians were called to move. The Azerbaijani side has not yet fully entered the region, they were already on their way. The UN mission also found that Azerbaijan had not carried out any ethnic cleansing.

But of course, the sudden exodus of tens of thousands of people from Karabakh within a few days will be used against Azerbaijan at various levels in the coming years. Especially the Armenian Diaspora, certain political circles associated with them. The Azerbaijani side itself, through the reintegration plan, trying to achieve success, can achieve the return of certain persons. But I'm not hoping for a very large figure. As I have already said, this 30-year conflict has left its mark between two countries, between two societies. For example, there is no serious conflict between Transnistria and Moldova today. Trips are carried out, certain trade and economic activities are carried out. There is also communication between Georgia and Abkhazia. But it wasn't like that with us. Every year we had considerable sacrifices. Therefore, it is necessary to take into account the psychological state of the other party. It's hard for them to live under the Azerbaijani flag.

Question: What needs to be done to make reintegration and coexistence possible?

Answer: The experts with whom we cooperate recently conducted a study in several villages of Georgia, where Azerbaijanis and Armenians peacefully coexist. We intend to publish its result. Contrary to Robert Kocharian's statement about genetic incompatibility, these two peoples are not strangers to each other. According to him, these two peoples will never be able to live together. But in our neighboring countries, in Russia, Iran, and especially in Georgia, representatives of the two communities get along well. There may be some problems between them at the household level. In Georgia, for example, in villages where two communities live, a number of topics, including the Karabakh issue, are tabooed. They try to avoid this topic so that there is no tension. I want to say that the genetic code does not prescribe these two peoples to live separately from each other. I hope to live together. However, the exodus of tens of thousands of Armenians does not complicate the issue of cohabitation, reintegration. In fact, deleon only simplifies it. Because the scale is getting smaller. There are few Armenians now, and their integration into Azerbaijani society will not be a big problem either. Most of them are elderly people. These are people who lived in Azerbaijan during the Soviet era. Some people know the Azerbaijani language. Therefore, in this context, the process is greatly simplified for the Azerbaijani side.