Italian deputy FM says there are those in Europe who incite Armenian nationalism and revanchism

There are those in Europe who are inciting Armenian nationalism and revanchism, Deputy Foreign Minister of Italy Edmondo Cirielli said in an interview with the Italian newspaper Formiche.

Report informs that, according to him, Europe and in particular Italy should make efforts to create a mitigating environment between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The official said the words of European Parliament member Fabio Massimo Castaldo, who called Azerbaijan’s anti-terrorist measures in September "an attack by Azerbaijanis," were "real madness." Cirielli added that Azerbaijan has never carried out any actions against the territory of Armenia, and this is a known fact confirmed by independent UN commissions. The deputy minister noted that the outflow of the Armenians from Karabakh was caused not by the Azerbaijani troops, but by the separatists who carried out repressions in the region in order to create additional cause for tension.

Cirielli noted in his interview that despite the victory on the battlefield in the Second Karabakh War, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stopped the Azerbaijani troops and thereby made a peaceful solution to the issue possible, and has also been trying to resolve the problem peacefully for the past three years.

According to the Italian deputy minister, there have always been those in Europe who incited Armenian revanchism and Armenian nationalism, entangled Yerevan in issues not even provided for by international law.

Cirielli added that the thirty-year occupation of Azerbaijani lands was a clear violation of international law on the part of Armenia: "Armenia has not directly, but indirectly recognized this. The military issue has already been resolved. I don’t think that any other country could have waited 30 years before resolving the issue of the armed occupation of its lands."

According to the deputy foreign minister, Italy can play an important diplomatic role in ensuring peace: "But if the Azerbaijanis are further presented as using force against the Armenians, this will not help peace."