“Elephant instead of a fly”: Lavrov changes the rhetoric of peace
Significant changes are taking place in Yerevan’s position after Russia’s harsh reaction to the participation of the European Union (EU) in the process of normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Recall that the Russian Foreign Ministry accused Brussels of embezzling the tripartite agreements reached at the initiative of Moscow. The EU has stated that it does not take into account Russia’s interests in any issue related to the Karabakh conflict and does not need to consult with it.
The course of the proceedings shows that after Russia’s interference in the peace talks, Yerevan’s position has changed and the previous series of accusations against Azerbaijan continues. After Sergey Lavrov’s visit to Yerevan yesterday, it became clear that the Armenian leadership has already moved away from a peaceful position. Because the Foreign Minister showed a tough stance against Azerbaijan. He also touched upon the results of the talks between Lavrov and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Vladimir Putin in Moscow at a press conference, noting that the leaders of the two countries approved important directions for the development of our relations.
Here are some excerpts from Mirzoyan’s speech:
– Armenia continues to believe that the Russian peacekeeping mission is able to restore the status quo established by the tripartite statement of November 10, 2020, which was violated as a result of the entry of the Azerbaijani army into the village of Farrukh on March 24;
– Armenia appreciates Russia’s efforts to implement the provisions of the trilateral declaration, in particular the provisions on the return of Armenian “prisoners of war”;
– Baku refuses to return Armenian “prisoners of war” a year and a half after the cessation of hostilities, violating international humanitarian norms;
– Repeated acts of vandalism against cultural and religious monuments in the territories under the control of Azerbaijan require urgent international intervention;
– Baku periodically violates the ceasefire and the rhetoric of Armenian phobia of the Azerbaijani leadership should not escape attention, etc.
The Russian Foreign Minister did not lag behind Mirzoyan and made angry statements in Baku:
“There are certain results in terms of de-escalation of the situation in Karabakh. We hope that the start of the delimitation process on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border will help increase confidence between Baku and Yerevan and prevent incidents such as Farrukh in the area of responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping contingent..
Leyla Abdullayeva, head of the press service of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, reacted harshly to Lavrov’s remarks. Commenting on the minister’s opinion, the official said that the activities of the delimitation commissions established by Azerbaijan and Armenia, as previously planned, are aimed at delimitation of the state border of the two countries. “This process does not envisage consideration of any issue outside the Azerbaijani-Armenian border, including the territories of the Russian peacekeeping contingent of the Republic of Azerbaijan”– Foreign Ministry spokesman stressed.
Lavrov’s mistake was corrected in Moscow after Baku’s protest. Thus, the transcript of the press conference of Lavrov and Mirzoyan was published on the official website of the Russian Foreign Ministry: “We expect that the start of the delimitation process on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border will help increase confidence between Baku and Yerevan and prevent incidents such as Farrukh in the area of responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping contingent.”.
Member of the Defense and Security Committee of the Azerbaijani Parliament Elman Mammadov commented on the Russian Foreign Minister’s statement to Turan: “Lavrov is well aware that if we are talking about the delimitation of borders, we are talking about the state borders of Azerbaijan and Armenia. Farrukh village is one of the villages of Khojaly region of Azerbaijan. This means that the purpose of the deployment of the Russian military contingent in the territory of Azerbaijan is to protect the separatist regime, which has been established and maintained for more than 30 years. Lavrov, in the name of Farrukh village, said that instead of carrying out the mission assigned to them in the November 10 statement, the military contingent began to cooperate with, defend, instruct and arm separatists and illegal military units. The goal is clear: if a peace agreement is signed between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the conflict is completely ended, there will be no need for a third state to participate in the region. That is, there will be no need for Russia’s presence and participation in the South Caucasus. That is why Russia is making every effort to keep this conflict completely unresolved. “.
Security expert Ilham Ismayil said that Lavrov had said what Russia’s policy meant, but was simply checking how Azerbaijan would react to this delicate moment.
The expert reminded that Ararat Mirzoyan also spoke about Azerbaijan more than Armenia at the briefing, and accused Azerbaijan of the accusations he had not made since the end of the war.
In particular, he stressed the events around Mount Farrukh in March, accusing Azerbaijan of entering the “territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.” Both Russia’s and Armenia’s political moves and rhetoric after the Brussels process clearly show both a sharp change and aggression against Azerbaijan. It is, of course, Russia that inspires the defeated Armenia. The indirect effect of the pressure on the Pashinyan government is directed against Azerbaijan. Street protests against the Armenian government are openly chanted against the conclusion of a peace agreement between the two countries, and there is no doubt that the source is Russia. This has happened before, but now the target is Karabakh. Russia withdraws the political process from Yerevan and directs it to Khankendi. RIA Novosti’s Beglaryan advertisement, Konstantin Zatulin’s meeting with former leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh, the fake “Russian community” and the commander of the military contingent in Karabakh, General Volkov, the Armenian Prosecutor General’s visit to Khankendi and finally Farrukh’s delimitation were the events of the last 10 days. What Russia will say and do in Karabakh does not raise a big question. The rope may not be pulled a third time. We must be ready to face an elephant instead of a fly “.
Turqut