Aravot. am’s interlocutor about the presence of the 5th column in the army, 11 thousand deserters, and the “Zangezur Corridor” is Avetik Ishkhanyan, the Chairman of the Helsinki Committee of Armenia.
– Deputy Zahid Oruj said in his speech at the Azerbaijani Milli Mejlis plenary session the other day. “…Armenia agreed to open the “Zangezur Corridor,” but refused after pressure from both countries. Iran intended to overthrow Pashinyan, saying: “Whatever fate awaits me, I will sign a peace agreement,” so Iran presented Pashinyan with an ultimatum. According to the Azerbaijani MP, Russia is the other country that wants to overthrow Pashinyan. Pashinyan made such a statement in 2022. On September 14, in the parliament, then, the same evening, on Facebook live, he re-edited his message after a spontaneous rally started on Baghramyan Avenue. In the context of the developments of the last few months and the unhindered advance of the Azerbaijani armed forces in the communities of Tegh and Kornidzor, the implementation of actual demarcation works; what are your assumptions?
– Unfortunately, the words of the Azerbaijani deputy are more than convincing. For the Turkic world, of which Azerbaijan is a part, Syunik has more important strategic importance than Artsakh. I had no doubt Azerbaijan’s “appetite” would open up after Artsakh. I also did not doubt that they would force the party to make any peaceful concession, that is, Armenia, to make other concessions. And those pressures were going to be endless, which we are witnessing today. And agreeing to the so-called “Zangezur corridor” means surrendering the whole of Syunik. And the fact that the Prime Minister decided to hand over Syunik, allegedly under the name of opening communications, giving the enemy “Zangezur Corridor,” also other points. In 2001, the editor of the “Haykakan Zhamanak” newspaper, who had already submitted a bid to become a politician, today’s prime minister, wrote admiringly about the “usefulness” of the corridor, openly stating that it is the long-standing desire of the Turkic world. And since both then and now, his thinking is not state-oriented, but only and only to gain profit, it can be confidently asserted that when he came to power, he consistently implemented this conspiratorial plan.
Another conclusion can be drawn from this. After all, without solving the issue of Artsakh, that is, handing it over, there could not even be any talks about the “Zangezur Corridor.” The second fact is the interview of Stepan Grigoryan, one of the spokespersons of the Armenian government, given in 2021 to the Turkish “Anadolu” agency. In the interview, this figure suggests replacing Russia with Turkey in the region and considers the idea of the “Zangezur Corridor” positive. As I mentioned, Stepan Grigoryan is not a random figure; he is the desired guest of both the Prime Minister and the government media. And his words were not followed by a counterattack from any government deputy (spitting on him, cutting his tongue, others).
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So, the prime minister was ready to sign that agreement, another capitulation, if he was not prevented first by Iran and Russia and by the spontaneous rally of September 14, 2022. Naturally, Iran and Russia are against the “Zangezur Corridor” based on their national interests, which coincide with the national interests of Armenia, but, surprisingly, not the interests of the Armenian government. Due to the distant future, India, China, and the entire Arab world are against the corridor. Let us remind you that in 1919-1921 During the heroic battle of Mountainous Armenia, Garegin Nzhdeh was supported by Persia. The ridiculous thing is that many anti-Russian figures in Armenia speak with serious faces, as if the “Zangezuryan Corridor” is a Russian-Azerbaijani-Turkish project, momentarily “forgetting” the sincerity of their associate and colleague Stepan Grigoryan. Providing a corridor means creating a land connection for the entire Turkic world, endangering the North Caucasus and the whole of Russia.
The former journalist, now prime minister, also wrote about it in the abovementioned article. And finally, Armenia was a severe factor in the whole world, especially in our region; with the victories in Artsakh, now it has stopped being a serious factor. If Armenia loses Syunik, it will not be of any interest to the whole world; it will be a territory despised and forgotten by everyone. And Azerbaijan, with the support and instigation of Turkey, consistently continues its ambitions throughout Armenia, first of all in the direction of Syunik, calling it western Zangezur and moving forward step by step in the direction of Tegh and Kornidzor villages, surprisingly, without resistance from the Armenian side. The lack of resistance once again proves the truth of the words of the Azerbaijani deputy. And isn’t it in that context to refuse CSTO military exercises?
– The government also decided that the NSS border guard troop should serve in the border areas instead of the army. What do you think this means?
– You need to figure out what to rate. Border guards, as a rule, guard the borders of two countries that do not have a conflict, for example, Armenia-Georgia. And the borders with a country with hostile relations are specially strengthened and equipped, with appropriate troops and military equipment, with accumulations. Today, replacing the army with a border guard service on the Armenian-Azerbaijani borders, which Azerbaijan has already violated figuratively means inviting the enemy by shouting “Come here!” as the poorest Giqor.
– Against the background of the recent events, Nikol Pashinyan’s announcement at his last press conference about the presence of the 5th column in the army is particularly noteworthy. Although that statement was discussed a lot, it takes on a new meaning in the background of Azerbaijani ambitions towards the sovereign territories of Armenia.
– Commenting on his statements is a thankless task, but let’s try. The Prime Minister tries to blame all his failures on others. In the army, even if there was a 5th column, the leading supreme commander is responsible for it, no one else. You have assumed the responsibility of leading the country and the army, so don’t throw your heavy sins, that is, the loss of 75% of Artsakh: And Armenian territories, thousands of victims and missing persons, disabled people, and dozens of captives. Even if there were traitors in the army, where were the intelligence and special counter-intelligence services? And finally, was it the 5th column that ordered the mandatory conscription to be replaced by volunteer units, or was it the 5th column that rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin’s proposals to end the war, or was it the same 5th column that forbade the use of “Iskander” missiles?
Interview by Nelly GRIGORIAN
