Peaceful coexistence between Azerbaijan and Armenia is impossible as long as revanchist sentiments persist.
This was stated by People’s Artist of Azerbaijan Vidadi Hasanov in a new episode of the video project “Dialogue with Tofig Abbasov” on the analytical platform Baku Network.
According to Hasanov, wars, destruction, and human tragedies inevitably force society to confront fundamental questions about the nature of violence, responsibility, memory, and moral choice.
Speaking about historical responsibility, he noted that the formal condemnation of historical criminals does not always amount to genuine punishment if society fails to learn the lessons of the past.
“Napoleon destroyed three generations of Frenchmen, yet he is buried in the Pantheon, and some people still erect monuments to him and worship him. And yes, neo-fascists in Europe, who are now very active, also worship Hitler. Everything comes full circle: radicalism, hatred of humanity, and extreme political movements,” he said.
Hasanov also addressed the position of European institutions, pointing to double standards in their approach to justice and accountability for crimes committed against Azerbaijan.
“Recently, a summit of the European Political Community was held in Yerevan, where President Ilham Aliyev, speaking by video link, directly addressed the double standards of European institutions, particularly the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
The European Parliament is defending 19 criminals whose inhuman acts have been proven and who are now serving sentences in Azerbaijani prisons. Why has Europe suddenly become so concerned about the fate of these people, who brought us so much suffering during the years of war in Karabakh?” he said.
The People’s Artist stressed that impunity for individuals involved in mass war crimes creates a dangerous precedent and leads to the repetition of tragedies.
“If these people remain unpunished, tragedies will repeat themselves again and again,” Hasanov stated.
He emphasized that after the restoration of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, it is necessary to think about the future and peaceful coexistence. However, this requires a rejection of revanchist thinking.
We present the full video recording of the program to our readers.
