(MENAFN- AzerNews)
By Vugar Khalilov
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's June 9, 2022, statement
in Yerevan about an obscure village in Azerbaijan's Karabakh was a
total bombshell for both Baku and Yerevan that raised eyebrows at
Moscow's rationale behind yet another twist.
Although Baku's prompt reaction compelled Moscow to later amend
the Yerevan remark by the scandalous foreign minister, it, in
essence, changed nothing and once again laid bare serious
shortcomings and highly controversial aspects of Russia's foreign
policy priorities.
Pundits immediately come forward with their far-reaching
conclusions that Baku and Yerevan once again realized what lies
behind Russia's endless dual game vis-à-vis the Karabakh issue.
Lavrov's remark came after Baku's repeated statements that the
conflict had been resolved militarily, and Moscow's role at this
point in time is to play its assumed function, that is, to play a
fair role and be conducive to the final resolution of the
conflict.
Alas, the Russian foreign minister's controversial remark
dispels hopes that Moscow can play a fair and neutral arbiter role.
One might ascribe it to the Russian foreign minister's scandalous
nature, who often finds himself in the whirl of the activities that
run counter to the stated principles, but as a saying goes, no
guide is needed to a mountain that is visible.
What tells us Farrukh & prelude to Baku's
anger
In March 2022, the Azerbaijani army restored control over
Farrukh village and the neighboring Dashbashi height to prevent
provocations by illegal Armenian armed groups operating in the
Russian peacekeeping forces' temporary zone of control in
Karabakh.
On June 9, asked by an Armenian journalist about efforts being
made to achieve the“withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops from the
Karabakh village of Farrukh”, the Russian minister said in Yerevan
that“the issue of Azerbaijan seizing control of a Karabakh village
in March 2022 would be resolved during the border delimitation
between Armenia and Azerbaijan”.
'As we understand, these issues will be discussed and will be
surely resolved within the substantive work on border delimitation
that is about to start,' Lavrov told a joint presser with his
Armenian opposite side in Yerevan on June 9.
In Baku, the statement raised eyebrows at all levels with
pundits asking rightfully about the interconnection between the
village inside Karabakh and the ensuing border delimitation process
that despite Baku's best efforts has not yet moved off the dead
point.
Yerevan's short-lived glee
In Yerevan, where protesters took to the streets to protest at
the visit of the Russian foreign minister, they did not take
seriously what Sergei Lavrov said, ascribing his words either to
his poor knowledge of geography or his desire to appease the anger
of the protesting Armenians. Lavrov's response that the issue would
be resolved 'as part of the delimitation process' even perplexed
Armenian reporters in the briefing and pundits, who never lose the
opportunity to claim the right to everything Azerbaijan has had for
centuries.
Armenian experts attributed Lavrov's comment to his“tough
meetings” in Ankara, who in Yerevan mistook Farrukh for 'a number
of disputed territories on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border'.
Armenian opposition parliamentarian called for 'more clarity'.
'Does Mr. Lavrov's statement imply that the Armenian-Azerbaijani
delimitation commissions are also involved in the delimitation of
the Karabakh borders?” Ashotyan asked.“If so, within which
borders? If not, either I misunderstood Lavrov or he got the
toponyms mixed up,” he was quoted.
Another opposition member of the Armenian parliament, Artur
Kazinyan, said that an 'unexpected situation' had arisen after
Lavrov's statement.
Baku reacts
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry reacted immediately, refreshing
the Russian foreign minister's memory.
“We would like to note that the activities of the delimitation
commissions, established by Azerbaijan and Armenia, are aimed at
the delimitation of the state border of the two countries, as
previously planned. This process does not envisage consideration of
any issue outside the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border, including
the territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan where the Russian
peacekeeping contingent is temporarily located,” the ministry's
spokesperson said in a press release.
Moscow attempts to save its own face
The Russian Foreign Ministry did not comment on the issue
triggered by the chief diplomat and only after Baku's reaction, in
a transcript published on its official website, Lavrov's statement
was“corrected”.
The amended version of the foreign minister's remarks read as
follows.
'We hope that the launch of the process of delimitation of the
Armenian-Azerbaijani border will help build trust between Baku and
Yerevan and prevent incidents like Farrukh in the zone of
responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping contingent.'
Could the foreign minister, as a professional diplomat, make
such a grave error? This cannot be ruled out in view of Lavrov's
frequent blunders and his often reference to non-normative
vocabulary cannot be ruled out.
Lavrov's previous remarks, such as Nazi leader Adolf Hitler 'had
Jewish blood' or that“the most ardent anti-Semites are usually
Jews', made Putin apologize to Israel in order to avoid a crisis in
the Russian-Israeli ties, are clear evidence of his similar
gaffes.
Experts on Farrukh
According to military analyst Adalat Verdiyev, the Azerbaijani
army has no plans to leave the liberated territories. In response
to Lavrov's comments, the expert stated that the Farrukh victory
was a source of pride for Azerbaijan.
'Raising our flag in Farrukh is a very serious message sent by
Azerbaijan to Armenia. The implication of this message is that only
the Azerbaijani army can guarantee the security of Armenians in our
territories, including in Karabakh, which is temporarily controlled
by Russian peacekeepers,' Verdiyev stressed.
In this regard, the analyst believes Lavrov's comments on
Farrukh are aimed at calming down the Armenian community.
'We do not intend to withdraw from any territory where the
Azerbaijani army is located. It has not been and will not be so. On
the contrary, Azerbaijan will seek to expand its control in the
territories where the Russians are temporarily stationed in the
near future,' the military expert said.
Azerbaijani MP Fazil Mustafa said that the statement of the
Russian foreign minister was aimed at disrupting the peace
process.
'Russia sees that the process is moving towards a solution, they
want to disrupt it,' he said. Mustafa went on to say that Lavrov's
comment was worthless and irrelevant to Azerbaijan.
'First, Azerbaijan makes its own decisions on its lands. Second,
Azerbaijan will not allow Lavrov's words and the wishes of the
Armenians to come true. We will define our borders in this region
and no country can interfere in it.'
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