BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 12. Peaceful coexistence between Azerbaijan and Armenia is impossible if there is a revanchist sentiment, said People's Artist of Azerbaijan Vidadi Hasanov in the latest episode of the Baku Network platform's analytical video project "Dialogue with Tofig Abbasov," dedicated to issues of culture, history, and statehood, Trend reports.
According to Hasanov, wars, destruction, and human tragedies inevitably pose fundamental questions for society – about the nature of violence, responsibility, memory, and moral choice.
Speaking about historical responsibility, he noted that formal condemnation of historical criminals doesn't always become effective punishment if society fails to learn from the past.
"Napoleon destroyed three generations of French people, yet he is buried in the Pantheon; some still erect monuments to him and idolize him. And the neo-fascists in Europe, who are very active now, also idolize Hitler. Everything returns to normal: radicalism, misanthropy, extreme political movements," he said.
Hasanov also mentioned the position of European institutions, declaring the existence of double standards in their approach to justice and accountability for crimes committed against Azerbaijan.
"The European Political Community summit was recently held in Yerevan, where our president, via video link, spoke directly about the double standards of European institutions. The European Parliament is defending 19 criminals whose inhumane acts have been proven and who are currently imprisoned in Azerbaijani prisons. Why is Europe suddenly so concerned about the fate of these people, who brought us so much suffering during the Karabakh war?" he said.
The People's Artist pointed out that the impunity of those involved in mass war crimes creates a dangerous precedent and leads to the repetition of tragedies.
"If these people remain unpunished, tragedies will be repeated again and again," Hasanov said.
He emphasized that after restoring Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, it is necessary to think about the future and peaceful coexistence, but this requires abandoning revanchist thinking.
The full video recording of the program is presented to readers:
