Op-ed: Azerbaijan may conduct a counter-terrorist operation in Karabakh

Azerbaijan may carry out counter-terrorist operation in Karabakh

Baku again once again cited the non-implementation of one of the conditions of the tripartite statement of November 10, 2020. According to one of the clauses of the document, the Armenian armed forces must leave the part of Karabakh, where the Russian peacekeeping forces are temporarily stationed. Political observer Agshin Kerimov believes that in order to fulfill this condition, Azerbaijan can conduct a counter-terrorist operation.

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The other day, the Azerbaijani media published a video in which, allegedly, the Armenian armed forces stationed in that part of Karabakh, where Russian peacekeepers are temporarily stationed, are digging trenches. They carry out these works under the guise of the Russian peacekeepers. The video was filmed near the Agdam region, which returned under the control of Azerbaijan as a result of the second Karabakh war.

It is noted that the Azerbaijani side protested about the incident and demanded that the peacekeeping forces stop similar illegal actions.

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According to Azerbaijani political observer Agshin Karimov, such incidents leave official Baku no other way but to make the Armenian armed forces withdraw from Karabakh by force.

“In fact, nothing is being done to implement the conditions of the 4th paragraph of the tripartite statement of November 10, 2020.

According to that clause, the Russian peacekeeping forces were to be deployed in Karabakh in parallel with the withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces.

But more than a year has passed, and not only do we not see the withdrawal of illegal armed forces from the zone of responsibility of the peacekeepers, on the contrary, they are building up their forces.

I think this is happening for two reasons:

• The Armenian armed forces in Karabakh do not obey the will of the Armenian leadership. And this state of affairs plays into the hands of Yerevan;

• The illegal Armenian armed forces in Karabakh are under the patronage of the Russian peacekeeping contingent.

Regardless of the reason that led to this state of affairs, Azerbaijan’s patience is not unlimited, and, at some point, Baku may resort to the use of military force.

The Russian peacekeepers themselves claim that the withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from Karabakh is not their responsibility. This condition is stipulated by the tripartite statement, but the peacekeeping contingent is not authorized to implement it.

This factor also indicates that the 4th paragraph of the document, which put an end to the second Karabakh war, can be implemented directly by the Azerbaijani side. It will be impossible for illegal Armenian armed formations to resist the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.

I think that in the future it is impossible to exclude the need to conduct a counter-terrorist operation in Karabakh”, Kerimov said.