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New checkpoint on Azerbaijan's border is result of global challenge - Expert

24 April 2023 09:00 (UTC+04:00)
New checkpoint on Azerbaijan's border is result of global challenge  - Expert
Qabil Ashirov
Qabil Ashirov
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Finally, Azerbaijan launched stricter measures to prevent the Armenian provocations and illegal transportation of manpower, ammunition, mines, as well as other military equipment that have been going on for the past two and a half years. On April 23, units of Azerbaijan's State Border Service isntalled a border checkpoint on its sovereign territories, on the border with Armenia, at the beginning of the Lachin-Khankendi road. The border checkpoint was also a direct response to the fact that on april 22, Armenia unilaterally, and contrary to the tripartite statement of November 10, 2020 has trespassed Azerbaijan's territory.

This issue has actually been discussed for a long time. However, the establishment of the checkpoint at the beginning of the Lachin-Khankendi road has also created certain questions in terms of its relief, technical and security aspects. Military expert Ramil Mammadli has clarified the questions in a comment for Azernews:

"There is just one road coming from Armenia leading to Khankendi in this direction. The border checkpoint was established on this road and majority of the points of the road passed through city centres," the expert said.

Speaking more of its technical points, the expert added that the road starts from the convential border between Armenia and Azerbaijan then goes in the Lachin district, passes over the Hakari river, bypasses Zabukh village, and then lies through the Lachin city, leading to Khankendi.

"We should note that most of the roads constructed during the Soviet Union used to pass through the city centers. However, in order to reduce density in the city centres Azerbaijan has redesigned and reconstructed all these roads to bypass them. So the same things happened on the old Lachin-Khankendi road. Azerbaijan reconstructed the road near the Lachin city to bypass the city centre after the 44-day war,” Mammadli emphasised.

As for the reasons for establishing a border checkpoint on the road controlled by Russian peacekeepers, the pundit pointed out that the Armenian side repeats its dirty deeds, and Azerbaijan is aware of all its plots.

“That is, we remember very well that there were similar acts of Armenian separatist groups in the late 80s and the early 90s. The peacekeeping military units of Russia, which controlled that humanitarian supply route, either could not cope with this mission or participated in the process of arming Armenians, as in the late 80s and the early 90s. In such a case, Azerbaijan should carry out the function of controlling the road itself, based on its own and international laws."

Ramil Mammadli also touched on several stages of controlling the newly established check point. According to him, first, members of the State Border Service should establish a border-crossing point on the Lachin-Khankendi road, and check vehicles (and persons) moving in both directions from Armenia to Karabakh and vice versa; second, the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs must ensure the general security of the Lachin road; and third, the Azerbaijani Army should continue the process of organizing the defense of the Lachin road from strategic positions and nearby areas. The pundit underlined the importance of Azerbaijan's full control of the road. "Only then can any progress be made,” the military expert opined.

He ensured that this will prevent illegal Armenian separatists from using this route to transport weapons and ammunition. Another issue that concerns Azerbaijanis is the existing other dirt roads that Armenian can use to transport military equipment. And as to him, there is no dirt road to transport from the territory of Armenia to Lachin. R.Mammadli says Armenia first enters the road to Azerbaijan going through the crossing point, and then they can enter the dirt road and go in the direction of Khankendi.

In addition, the pundit noted that establishing a border checkpoint is a global challenge for Azerbaijan as that idea was generated from a serious demand.

"I want to say that Armenia will still stand weak and powerless in front of Azerbaijan. We know that Russian peacekeepers create certain problems for Azerbaijan, but it is impossible to know whether these problems will benefit us in the future or not. In any case, Azerbaijan achieved its goal and established a checkpoint on the conventional border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This checkpoint is very important from the point of view of psychological, technical, and security,” R.Mammadli added.

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