"Anti-Russian front in Caucasus?" - Moscow and Baku exchange accusations amid escalation in Karabakh
Baku criticized Moscow’s statement amid escalation in Karabakh
The leadership of Azerbaijan sharply criticized the recent statement of the Russian Defense Ministry regarding the aggravation of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Baku’s main claim is that Armenian armed formations have not yet withdrawn from the territory of Azerbaijan (in the Karabakh zone), which is temporarily controlled by Russian peacekeepers. Meanwhile, this condition is included as one of the points of the tripartite statement that ended the second Karabakh war in the fall of 2020.
Baku also reminds the Russian Ministry of Defense that it should not use the name “Nagorno-Karabakh” at all, since there is no such administrative-territorial unit on the territory of Azerbaijan.
At the same time, a message was published that Azerbaijan would soon restore gas supply to Khankendi (in Armenia this city is called Stepanakert) and adjacent settlements.
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On the evening of March 26, the Russian Ministry of Defense in its newsletter announced a violation of the terms of the tripartite statement of November 10, 2020, which put an end to the second Karabakh war.
Meanwhile, according to reports from Khankendi (Stepanakert), the situation in the part of Karabakh where Russian peacekeepers are stationed has not changed. The Azerbaijani Armed Forces are holding the positions they occupied on March 24 – the village of Farrukh and the height of Dashbashi.
Message from the Russian Ministry of Defense
“The Russian peacekeeping contingent continues to carry out tasks in the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
From March 24 to March 25, the armed forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan, violating the provisions of the tripartite statement of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia dated November 9, 2020, entered the zone of responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping contingent on the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and set up an observation post.
Four strikes were made by an unmanned aerial vehicle of the Bayraktar-TB 2 type on units of the armed formations of Nagorno-Karabakh in the area of the FURUKH settlement.
At present, the command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent is taking measures to resolve the situation and return the troops to their original position. An appeal has been sent to the Azerbaijani side for the withdrawal of troops”, says the information bulletin of the Russian Ministry of Defense on the activities of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in the zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Immediately after the publication of this bulletin, a sharply negative response from the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan was issued.
Statement of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan
“The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan regrets the one-sided statement of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation dated March 26, 2022, which does not correspond to reality”, the press service of the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan reported.
“On March 25, during a telephone conversation between Defense Minister Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, the situation in Azerbaijan, where the Russian peacekeeping contingent is temporarily stationed, was discussed. During the conversation, the Azerbaijani side stated that the positions and locations at the sites are being specified.
However, on the morning of March 26, members of the illegal Armenian armed groups attempted to sabotage the units of the Azerbaijani army. As a result of immediate measures, members of the illegal Armenian armed groups were forced to retreat.
Azerbaijan is committed to the tripartite statement of November 10, 2020 and has not violated any of its provisions.
Unfortunately, in accordance with paragraph 4 of this statement, the complete withdrawal of the remnants of the Armenian army and illegal Armenian armed formations from the territory of Azerbaijan has not yet been carried out. Therefore, it is Armenia, and not Azerbaijan, that violates the provisions of the statement.
This statement by the RF Ministry of Defense contradicts the essence of bilateral relations and the Declaration on Allied Interaction signed between the two countries on February 22, 2022.
There is no administrative-territorial unit called “Nagorno-Karabakh” on the territory of Azerbaijan. The village mentioned in the statement is not called Furukh, but Farrukh.
In connection with the above, the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan calls on the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation to ensure the complete withdrawal of the remnants of the Armenian army and illegal Armenian armed formations from the territories of Azerbaijan recognized by the international community, in accordance with the provisions of the tripartite statement.
It also asks to abstain from using the term “Nagorno-Karabakh” and correctly indicate the names of the territories of Azerbaijan”, the statement says.
On Sunday morning, March 27, the Azerigaz Production Association, which is responsible for the distribution of natural gas in Azerbaijan, announced the imminent restoration of gas supply to Khankendi (in Armenia this city is called Stepanakert) and adjacent settlements.
Gas supply will be restored
“In recent days, the failure of gas distribution lines in the Karabakh economic region, which have been operating without repair for many years, has caused problems in gas supply.
Despite the heavy snowfall, Azerigaz employees are taking the necessary measures to eliminate the consequences of the accident despite complexity of the local terrain.
On March 28, the supply of natural gas to Khankendi and other nearby settlements will be restored, and first of all, tests will be carried out. In this regard, consumers are advised to be careful when using natural gas and strictly observe safety regulations.
After the completion of the tests on March 29, the supply of natural gas to the territory of the Karabakh economic region will be fully restored”, Azerigaz said in a statement.
Expert commentary
In the Azerbaijani segment of social media, the latest events in the part of Karabakh, where the Russian peacekeeping contingent is deployed, are being actively discussed.
“Currently, about 30,000 Armenians live in Nagorno-Karabakh. Most of Nagorno-Karabakh, the main strategic heights are under the control of the Azerbaijani army.
The Lachin corridor is beyond the control of our army, but Lachin has nothing to do with the territory where the Armenians live. In a word, now Nagorno-Karabakh is in the position of an enclave.
One of the key countries in the South Caucasus is Turkey, which is a member of NATO and an ally of Azerbaijan. Armenia is located between Azerbaijan and Turkey, and in the post-Putin period it will be forced to take into account our interests. The West is also aware of these realities.
In Joe Biden’s letter to Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of the Novruz holiday, democracy was first mentioned. Another noteworthy fact in that letter was that the US President never mentioned the OSCE Minsk Group. Although in a similar letter last year he dwelled on the Minsk Group in detail.
All this is due to the fact that the West is aware of the realities, and the United States, first of all, recognizes the territorial integrity and inviolability of Azerbaijan’s borders as a factor in the peace process.
The progressive world, and primarily the West, today does not need the opening of a second front and the spread of the Ukrainian conflict to other regions. This tension is beneficial to Putin only.
Tension in Nagorno-Karabakh is also beneficial to the opposition of Armenia, led by Kocharyan. They understand that Putin does not want to give Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan anyway and will not withdraw his troops from there in the near future…
We will subsequently be accused of ethnic cleansing and inciting ethnic intolerance – both now and in the post-Putin period. But after Putin’s departure from the political arena, Nagorno-Karabakh will still remain the territory of Azerbaijan.
We should just avoid spoiling the situation now. After the military successes of 2020, our main concern should be the recognition of Azerbaijan as a supporter of peace, adherent to the international law, the principle of inviolability of the territorial integrity of states and interstate borders, respecting good neighborly relations and able to ensure a common life with ethnic groups of the population.
Unlike the Aliyevs and those who are unable to see the future of these processes, the Azerbaijani people need democracy. Azerbaijan must and will become democratic. This is our main task for today and tomorrow”, Azer Gasimly, head of the Institute of Political Management, wrote on social media.
The head of the Atlas analytical center, political scientist Elkhan Shahinoglu, draws attention to the tone of the message of the Russian Ministry of Defense:
The Ally is trying to scare us. The message deliberately uses the expressions “Nagorno-Karabakh” and “Nagorno-Karabakh Republic”. In fact, none of them are illegal.
We are entering a new stage of the information war. We have plenty of arguments, and we just have to use these tools.”
Expert Elchin Efendi warns Russia about underestimating the balance of power and warns against a clash with Azerbaijan:
“Any clash between Russia and Azerbaijan at the present time will deliver a final blow to Russia.
First, Azerbaijan is an ally of Russia and its main supporter in the Caucasus in economic terms.
Secondly, during the days of the second Karabakh war, Russia saw perfectly well what the Azerbaijani army was capable of.
Thirdly – the Shusha Declaration. Turkey is our military ally, and the inclusion of Turkey in clashes automatically means the inclusion of NATO in it.
Fourthly, a second front against Russia may appear in the Caucasus.
Fifth, there will be pressure from Azerbaijani businessmen living in Russia”.
