Azerbaijan gradually abandons the narrative of “environmentalists’ action” and puts the story of the “checkpoint” in the foreground. It is a deliberate tactic. If it had been openly and publicly announced from the beginning that representatives of the Azerbaijani army, police, or National Security Service were blocking the road, then the question would have arisen: “why all of a sudden? That is why the imitation of “environmental protest” was necessary. And when the so-called “international community” got used to that idea, the “activists” were officially replaced by the state, which just as “officially” regularly deprived Artsakh of gas and electricity.
It is, I repeat, very much like a deliberate tactic. At the same time, the Turkish style of handwriting is felt. During the years of the Armenian Genocide, some of the crimes (especially in the beginning) were committed by thugs “not related to the state.”
And so now the requirement is to “stop cars and check loads.” What it means was best explained by David Babayan, the representative for special assignments of the President of the Republic of Artsakh. “As for the Azerbaijani customs points in the Lachin Corridor, if someone does not realize what it is and approaches it theoretically and considers that customs point as a possible customs point between Belgium and Luxembourg, he is terribly mistaken. They will not be customs points but points of kidnapping and arrest of Armenians; this is clear. It does not fit under the provisions of the sinistrous announcement of November 9, 2020.”
It can be added that this request will not be the last if it is fulfilled and some miracle opens the road. There will be new requirements, which, if not met, will cause the road will be closed again. And so on. The political goal is clear: what should be the goal of the one justifying the actions of Ramil Safarov?
Read also
Are some negotiations and compromises possible here? In theory, yes. But first, you should always remember who you are dealing with; secondly, it should be clear from which positions you are negotiating, and thirdly, who will be the guarantor of possible agreements. As we see, Russia cannot be such a guarantor.
Aram ABRAHAMYAN
