Armenian Officials Respond to Aliyev’s Statement About Lake Sevan

On November 3, Armenian officials commented on recent remarks by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Orda.kz reports, citing NewsArmenia.AM.

Aliyev claimed that “there is no Lake Sevan, there is Geicha,” and referred to early 20th-century imperial Russian maps showing Azerbaijani toponyms on what is now Armenian territory

Armenian Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan dismissed the statement as politically motivated and intended for a domestic audience.

If we delve into historical research, it may turn out that someone will find their homeland in the Altai. This is aimed at an internal audience. I don’t want to respond or comment on it,
 Simonyan said, when asked whether Aliyev’s words contradicted Armenia’s peace agenda.

He added that the Azerbaijani president “is not talking about liberation but about coming to Armenia in cars, not tanks.”

Defense Minister Suren Papikyan also addressed Aliyev’s comments, saying that Azerbaijan’s rhetoric has eased since August 8, a change he said was visible along the border.

Frankly speaking, I am not in the habit of commenting on things I haven’t heard or read. I will read it myself and, if necessary, respond next time,
  Papikyan told reporters.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has cautioned against basing political arguments on historical place names:

Is it worth pointing out that the statement by the President of Azerbaijan does not reflect the whole picture? Because the President of Azerbaijan did not say that the name of Lake Sevan is Geicha, but that on tsarist maps there is no Lake Sevan, only some other name. An awkward situation…
 Pashinyan said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Speaker Ruben Rubinyan also responded on Facebook:

If we go far enough back, at some point we won’t see the name Sevan on old maps. Instead, we’ll see the Gegam or Gegarkunik Sea. And we won’t see Azerbaijan,
 wrote Rubinyan.

Rubinyan added that there is no point in looking back.