(MENAFN- AzerNews)
Fatima Latifova
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Despite significant progress in the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace
negotiations up until May of this year, the talks are once again
stalling due to Yerevan's baseless statements and claims. Armenian
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan views the upcoming COP29 event in
Azerbaijan in November as an opportunity to create a favourable
environment for peace, yet he hesitates to take essential steps
towards achieving it.
In his recent speeches, Pashinyan has emphasised how interested
Armenia is in signing a peace agreement and has claimed that
Armenia has no territorial demands against Azerbaijan. However, the
Armenian constitution's reference to the Declaration of
Independence clearly asserts territorial claims against Azerbaijan.
Pashinyan overlooks this contradiction and continues to stress the
importance of signing a peace treaty between Azerbaijan and
Armenia.
This raises important questions. Given that the Armenian
military, after realising its defeat on the battlefield during the
Second Garabagh War, targeted civilians in Barda and Ganja with
rocket attacks, and considering the Armenian government's hostile
stance against Azerbaijan in various international forums,
supported by pro-Armenian international organisations, how credible
are Pashinyan's promises of peace?
Moreover, the scepticism surrounding Pashinyan's position is
reinforced by the contradictory remarks of his own foreign
minister, Ararat Mirzoyan. At the Warsaw Security Forum, Mirzoyan
made claims about Azerbaijan's alleged attacks on Armenia's
internationally recognised borders and the "expulsion" of Armenians
from the so-called Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. The minister
also complained that the CSTO, particularly Russia, had failed to
protect Armenia during difficult times while portraying Azerbaijan
as an aggressor, a narrative that does not align with Pashinyan's
purported peace-seeking approach.
It is clear that Armenian officials are attempting to play a new
game in the region, once again playing victims on the international
stage.
Three days ago, the Armenian Constitutional Court approved the
statute on the work of the border delimitation commissions between
Azerbaijan and Armenia. With this court decision, Yerevan
officially announced its abandonment of the concept of
"miatsum"-the idea of unifying Garabagh with Armenia. However,
despite this, Armenia has yet to meet the conditions put forth by
Azerbaijan.
The Armenian side has not provided information on the fate of
the Azerbaijanis who went missing during the First and Second
Garabagh wars, nor has it handed over accurate maps of landmines
haphazardly buried in Garabagh. While Armenia has not erased its
territorial claims embedded in its constitution, it pressures
Azerbaijan to hasten the peace process.
Considering that many international organisations, ahead of
COP29, are also supporting an end to tensions between Azerbaijan
and Armenia and the signing of a peace treaty, it is understandable
that Armenia would want to present itself as a peace-seeking actor
on the global stage. However, simply claiming to have abandoned the
"miatsum" doctrine without substantive action is not sufficient for
the signing of a peace agreement.
After the controversies Armenia has stirred up regarding the
opening of the Zangazur Corridor, Azerbaijan has agreed to
temporarily postpone this issue. Yet, the Armenian foreign
minister's continued territorial claims and unfounded allegations
against Azerbaijan undermine Pashinyan's peace calls, making them
neither convincing nor credible.
Armenia's current eagerness to“establish peace” likely stems
from its desire to avoid Azerbaijan's justified demands and to
quickly sign a treaty, opening borders with Turkiye and securing
direct access to the West, all while maintaining its provocative
stance. Otherwise, Pashinyan would have first addressed the
comments made by his own foreign minister before using COP29 as a
pretext to announce his willingness to sign a peace agreement with
Azerbaijan. Armenia's efforts to play these roles in the media and
politics are laughable, but the reality is that just last week, the
Armenian military shelled Azerbaijan's borders. Ignoring all these
facts, while Armenian officials themselves remain divided, and
accusing Azerbaijan of avoiding peace, is clear evidence of the
chaotic situation within Armenia.
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