Supporters for Russian-Azerbaijani military cooperation are more than the ones who appraise the interests of Armenia
On November 24, parliamentary hearings on joining Eurasian Union Treaty were held at the National Assembly. They were held at a very interesting point. The same day was the memorial service of the Armenian helicopter crew-members, which was downed by Azerbaijani side by Russian “Igla” and “Strela” air missile weapons. And as far as days later, in honor of the NKR Defense Army, it became possible to solve the issue of returning the helicopter crew being in fire for a few days, today, we can speak more open and unrestrained about our and Azerbaijan relations with Armenia’s and Nagorno-Karabakh’s security “guarantor” Russia. A primitive “justification” is circulated: “Would it be better if our helicopter was downed by an American missile?”
The problem is not that if Russia does not sell attack arms to Azerbaijan, Aliyev would not obtain this weapon for any other country in the world. The difference of any other country and Russia is that Russia is Armenia’s strategic ally, and in this respect, at least, it may differ from other countries of the world. Plus, Armenia is a CSTO member, as well as a CIS, and now affiliates to the EaEU, in other words, it is totally in the Russian “circle”, whereas the staunch defenders of the Kremlin’s policy are seeking to convince that under these conditions, it is more pleasant for Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh that the Azerbaijani side attacks especially with the Russian air missile type of weapons rather than with any other country’s military equipment.
First, it is worth noting the endless repeated “crushing” justifications from government and non-government wings that by affiliating with the EaEU, Armenia solves a security problem and the possibility of outbreak of the Karabakh war, is just saying an exclusion. Where are these figures? Perhaps, it is clear where they are. It reaches the point that the Armenia’s defense-lawyers of Russian-Azerbaijani military cooperation express an opinion that the Armenian helicopter was downed accidentally by the opponent. The OSCE Minsk Group is dealing with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict normalization process, and if the two co-chair countries, the United States and France, do not sell weapons to Azerbaijan because of unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, why does the other co-chair country, Russia, different from the other two countries? The Armenian side has always announced that it is ready for a peace settlement in the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group.
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Moreover than ever, it is apparent that official Aliyev has set a task to persistently destroy the efforts of this format and is persistently implementing it, both inside his country through the political persecution of peace supporters and in the front through organizing continual provocations. In fact, the provocations on the Contact line always coincide with the chronology for planning or holding Sargsyan-Aliyev meetings with great difficulty. Maybe the Azerbaijani-Russian military cooperation defenders would also consider this question of why two weeks after the October 27 talks in Paris, when the official Yerevan announced that the negotiations were successful to record some progress, a training helicopter was downed in the Contact Line on November 12. Maybe, Aliyev becoming “rich” with Russian anti-aircraft weapon has received the “ok” from Moscow to “pierce” also the OSCE Minsk Group activities.
Now, let’s go back to the parliamentary hearings and the conduct of the parliamentary forces. Like the topic of concern about the Russian-Azerbaijani military cooperation, so as the issue of Armenia’s accession to the EaEU, the forces presented to the National Assembly are reluctant to dispute them or at least evolve a healthy debate around them. PAP, ARF and ANC do not have any problem with the membership to the EaEU. As they say, everything is long ago clear here. Consequently, today’s parliamentary hearings around the EaEU affiliation proceeded without any heated speeches and criticism. With the exception of the questions raised by the representatives of the “Heritage” and “Free Democrats”, no one from non-government forces delivered a speech, in other words, it can be said that the discussions were accompanied by long and stormy “applauses”. And this is in the event, when in the result of the EaEU membership, even the officials participating inside the process of affiliation are unable to present Armenia’s interests.
Today, it is only clear that there is a problem with price rise for a few hundred products (while according to the analyses by “Informed Citizens Association”, the price for 7000 names of goods will rise, of which the price for only 750 goods will grow late), and also that Armenia is going to have financial commitments before the Union. About 2 million dollars a year shall be paid to the EaEU budget, this sum will be directed to the maintenance of the structural bodies of the Union. In other words, Armenia will still keep Russia. And if we also add the unpredictability factor to this, which currently dominates around Russia’s financial and economic situation, it remains to guess what problems the society in Armenia may encounter a few months later.
Emma GABRIELYAN
