Aravot interviewed Nelly Ohanjanyan, Advisor to the President of Artsakh on Foreign Relations
– From the very beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, it was expected that the Baku regime would increase the tension on the Artsakh and Armenian fronts, but in Ukraine, the Russian targeting of the Azerbaijani consulate made the events more dangerous. The gas pipeline was damaged due to an accident near the Azeri position and the Azeri side was obstructing the repair work. The Armenian side had casualties in the Yeraskh section. For several days now, the village of Khramort in Artsakh has been targeted, after the Azerbaijani side used a loudspeaker and encouraged villagers to leave the village for about three days in February. Aren’t these and other targets by Azerbaijan a provocation against Russian peacekeepers?
– The tension on the line of contact is directly proportional to the processes taking place in the Ukrainian crisis. You mentioned specific cases that took place during the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis. Despite these specific cases, the escalation in our region was not unexpected. Azerbaijan is exacerbating the situation, taking advantage of the fact that Russia is currently mostly focused on Ukraine. Therefore, against the background of the delay in resolving the crisis in Ukraine, the possibility of escalation of the Azerbaijani-Artsakh conflict becomes more inevitable. Azerbaijan has its own calculations, preparing the ground for further actions.
Despite the fact that provocations from the Azerbaijani side along the line of contact have never stopped, the content of the Azeri Defense Ministry’s messages has changed significantly since the Turkish Foreign Minister’s visit to Baku on March 5 and the Erdogan-Ali meeting in Ankara on March 10. For example, according to the reports of March 7 or March 11, the Armenian side is accused of allegedly firing on the Azerbaijani positions in 4-5 directions.
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Nelly Ohanjanyan, Advisor to the President of Artsakh on Foreign Relations
I will point out another message from the Azerbaijani side, which is not at all similar to the message of the Ministry of Defense given in the conditions of the ceasefire. “The Azerbaijani army does not strike at civilian infrastructure.” According to the official statements of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan, a basis is being prepared for the gradual aggravation of the situation. In recent days, the villages of Khramort, Khnushinak, Khnapat, Nakhichanik, Taghavard, Karmir Shuka have been shelled from different caliber weapons. Azerbaijan has concrete ambitions for Khramort. Psychological terror was carried out against the village for a long time. Loudspeakers were used to call upon the villagers to leave the village, which was followed by the use of a grenade launcher. These retaliatory actions prove that Khramort is under threat of occupation by Azerbaijan. Of course, it is clear that Azerbaijan has not given up its plans for the complete occupation of the Republic of Artsakh.
The seriousness of the situation is assessed by the Azerbaijani security forces, the aggravation, and all the negative developments are at the center of the Russian peacekeepers’ attention. Due to the easing of tensions, the peacekeepers set up a base on March 10 in the rural area of Khramort.
Along with all this, the Azerbaijani side has also started a process on another front. In recent days, in letters to the UN, the Council of Europe, the European Union, the OSCE, NATO and the Russian Foreign Ministry, Azerbaijan has stated that it is “using the Lachin corridor for military purposes.” It is clear that the purpose of this step is to eventually gain control of the corridor, pushing out Russian peacekeepers. Why did this happen over the past days? It has its explanation. Taking into account the attitude of the West towards the “special military operation” of Russia, Azerbaijan is preparing the ground to present the presence of the Russian peacekeeping under a negative, biased cover, to promote the militarization of the Artsakh Republic, thus preparing the ground for its expulsion at an opportune moment.
– How would you explain the noticeable Russian-Azerbaijani tension against the background of the recently signed cooperation on strategic cooperation between the leaders of the two countries?
– The signing of the declaration was considered as a mutually beneficial document, thus registering the highest level of Russian-Azerbaijani interstate relations. In fact, Russia aimed to insure against the dangers expected from Azerbaijan in the region. The Azerbaijani side also had its calculations in this issue. And, in the Ukrainian crisis, the official circles of Azerbaijan are cautious towards Russia. As for the unofficial circles, especially in the pro-government media of Azerbaijan, there is a growing anti-Russian propaganda on social networks. At the same time, the information attack on Russian peacekeepers has taken on enormous proportions; the peacekeepers are accused of bias. For example, a video was made on false grounds about Alexander Volkov, the commander of the peacekeeping troops in the Republic of Artsakh. I think this was an unsuccessful attempt to discredit peacekeeping. The peacekeeping contingent of the RF Ministry of Defense in the Republic of Artsakh continues to be guided by its agenda.
Nelly GRIGORYAN
