A few days ago, Serzh Sargsyan, in his interview with FRANCE 24 TV, talking about the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, has not excluded resumption of hostilities. “This is the situation when the large-scale hostilities may start unplanned. Any event can turn into a greater one and the greater one is the hostilities.” In Serzh Sargsyan’s words, Armenia is capable of rebuffing any attack. “We are afraid to war, I’m personally afraid to war, but I’m not afraid to fighting.”
Referring to escalation of relations between Russia and the West, Serzh Sargsyan said that the most undesired thing for Armenia is the resumption of the cold war, as Armenia has always compared the interests of Russia and the West. “We have always strived to have good relations with Europe, NATO and U.S. We have a strategic ally in the face of Russia, which greatly helps Armenia, and we are ready to do everything possible to avoid higher tensions.” To the question of the journalist of whether he trusts the Russian President Vladimir Putin, Serzh Sargsyan replied, “I feel very comfortable in my relationship with him.”
Over the last few months, Official Yerevan, at the highest level – the President of Armenia, defense minister, and foreign minister, voiced its concern about Russia’s arms sales to Azerbaijan. Russian authorities so far continue remaining silent and do not respond to Armenia’s government authorities’ quite clearly concerns.
If we compare the unprecedented growth of tension in the contact line in recent months, the Azerbaijani authorities’ day-by-day voiced more cynical statements, and, generally, the year-long deadlock situation of the Karabakh settlement, then Serzh Sargsyan’s statement regarding the possibility of the resumption of hostilities, in other words, the alarm of outbreak of “unplanned” war, indeed, is an anxiety, and it was primarily addressed to Russia.
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The anxiety, perhaps, is mostly due to predicting the tendency to maintain ‘neutrality’ by Russia rather than by “decisiveness” of the Azerbaijani Army, about which, the country’s government authorities regularly come up with speeches and carry out relevant campaign exclusively for the domestic audience.
The reasons for Russia’s maintaining silence, perhaps, Russians consider them “justified”. Moscow nowadays would not like to catch anyone’s side: the “military business” with one of them has reached a strategy, the other is considered to be Russia’s ally, and the choice in favor of someone, perhaps, is not beneficial to Russians.
All of this is “calculated” by Aliyev too, who feels himself “freer” and tries, in his turn, to prove by tension on the borders, subversive acts and provocations that he has come out of the Karabakh peace process, moreover, draws “justifications” for neglecting the “international agreements”.
What remains to Russia to do? To wait for a convenient excuse to “legitimize” the presence of Russians in Nagorno-Karabakh. This prospect has already been clearly and openly spoken by “Armenian nation’s faithful friend” Zhirinovsky. Earlier, Zori Balayan had sent an extensive letter to Putin.
Hence, it remains to find out the sentiments of the Azerbaijani ruling elite regarding the possible presence of Russians in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Emma GABRIELYAN
