Armenian revanchist elements obstructing peace process between Yerevan, Baku
By Vugar Khalilov
Fearing the slight progress in the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace talks under the EU mediation, the Armenian opposition led by former presidents Kocharyan and Sargsyan, the main instigators of the Karabakh conflict since the late 1980s, is attempting to undermine the process and return it to the previous deadlock.
These revanchist parties, which are responsible for the prolongation of the conflict and its non-peaceful settlement, as well as the tragedy of the two nations, are now striving to reclaim power in Armenia in every manner imaginable and unimaginable.
Members of the former corrupt administration, who do not enjoy popular support, are currently organizing street rallies in Armenia to put pressure on the government to derail the peace talks with Azerbaijan and reestablish their previous control.
The latest remarks made by so-called leaders of the ethnic Armenians living in Karabakh, controlled by Russian peacekeepers, should be viewed in this light. In the midst of ongoing opposition marches in Armenia, separatist “leaders” in Karabakh make sentiments that echo those of Armenia's revenge-seeking forces.
They intend to minimize the EU's peacemaking efforts between Armenia and Azerbaijan while strengthening the influence of the OCSE Minsk Group, which has been unable to resolve the issue for almost three decades. On the other hand, Russia's diminishing involvement in conflict settlement amid the ongoing war in Ukraine and the West-Russia rivalry concerns Armenian revanchists and separatists.
Dialogue with the EU is necessary, but it should not become "a part of the current complicated relations between Russia and the West,” the so-called state minister of Karabakh separatists, Artak Beglaryan, told RIA Novosti. The European Union should not participate in the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, he claimed.
"Considering the format of the Minsk Group co-chairmanship and the effective role of the Russian peacekeeping mission, we believe that the settlement of the Karabakh conflict should not become a subject of negotiations for the European Union," Beglaryan said.
According to him, there is already an internationally-recognized format of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship, who are responsible for resolving the conflict.
However, the attempts to resurrect the de facto defunct Minsk Group, whose inactivity resulted in the looting of Azerbaijani settlements and the displacement of almost one million Azerbaijanis, indicate the Armenian revanchists' anti-human and terrorist intentions against Azerbaijan.
Furthermore, Beglaryan suggested that the number of Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh should be raised, since the "line of contact" between the sides increased by about 2.5 times following the battle in Karabakh, blaming Azerbaijan for inciting incidents on the border.
However, the separatist fails to mention that, according to Article 4 of the November 10, 2020, trilateral statement signed by the Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian leaders, there should be no “line of contact”, since Armenia is obliged to withdraw its troops from Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized territories.
“The peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation shall be deployed in parallel with the withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces,” the trilateral statement reads.
Beglaryan also said that the administration of the unrecognized “Nagorno-Karabakh” is negotiating with Armenia on the recognition of the republic, but there is no progress yet.
"Negotiations and contacts are held with Armenia concerning the recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh's independence but at the moment there is no progress on this issue," he told RIA Novosti.
When asked about the issue, Romanos Petrosyan, the head of the Armenian State Control Service, declined to respond, stating: "Considering my status, I have to show political restraint and of course, I cannot allow myself statements that may affect the negotiation process”.
This suggests that the present pro-Western government understands the regional context better and, as a result, prefers to employ more diplomatic language to bolster their negotiating positions with Azerbaijan.
On the contrary, the revanchists employ maximum radical rhetoric; demonstrate an unconstructive manner, and seeking for supporters to realize their illegal ambitions.
In order to damage Russian-Azerbaijani relations, Belgaryan claimed that Syrian terrorists, who purportedly took part in the second Karabakh conflict from the Azerbaijani side, may fight against Russian forces in Syria. The reports about the supposed participation of Syrian terrorists by Azerbaijan in the second Karabakh war were not backed by any proof.
In short, Armenian revanchists and separatists are attempting to sabotage Azerbaijan-Armenia peace negotiations, branding them as a "mission impossible".
The late opposition protests, however, demonstrate that these parties do not have enough popular support to realize their inhumane and destructive ambitions in the region. Most significantly, the world's political centers are acknowledging the regional realities established by Azerbaijan following its victory over Armenia in late 2020.
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