The Russian ruling elite reaches new heights in “ombudsmanship” for the barbarian, “phosphorous” dictator of MGIMO Aliyev
Reacting to Aliyev’s claims that Armenia has committed to provide unhindered communication to Azerbaijan through the tripartite declaration of November 9, 2020, the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, responded the other day that two of the parties to that tripartite declaration, from the moment of signing the document to September 2023, have shown by their actions that this document no longer exists.
“The actions taken in Nagorno-Karabakh, with the participation of the Russian Federation and Azerbaijan, prove that this document does not exist for them. It cannot be the case that for two parties, that document no longer exists; for the third party, that document continues to exist. And then what they from Azerbaijan say that in the tripartite statement of November 9, we reached the point where the so-called “Zangezur Corridor” was recorded and that the Russian Federation will ensure the safety of those roads. None of these two is written in the tripartite statement of November 9. It is not written anywhere that Russia should ensure communication security in any territory of Armenia. Not to mention, Azerbaijan has been developing talk about the “Zangezur Corridor” for three years, referring to the tripartite statement of November 9. Whoever finds the phrase “Zangezur Corridor” in the tripartite statement of November 9, I promise a monetary reward,” Pashinyan said.
To remind you, point 9 of the tripartite statement of November 9 states: “All economic and transport connections in the region should unblocked. Armenia guarantees transport communication safety between western areas of Azerbaijan and the Autonomous Republic of Nakhichevan to organize the unhindered movement of citizens, vehicles, and cargo in both directions. The bodies of the Border Guard Service of Russia carry out control over transport communication.”
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A situation was created when Moscow and Baku unanimously, after the end of the war, in conditions of relative peace, put all possible and impossible sins on the Armenian side. These accusations are becoming increasingly absurd. Here’s the latest of them:
Moscow once again asserted last week that the Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno Karabakh fulfilled all the obligations assumed by the document; as for the claims about ethnic cleansing in Nagorno Karabakh, the Russian side demanded facts, no more, no less. In a briefing with journalists, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said: “As for the accusations of ethnic cleansing in Karabakh, we want the facts to be presented. Suppose there is any document from some international organizations considered authoritative in Yerevan, such as the UN or another organization. If there is even any document or statement proving that such ethnic cleansing took place, please provide us with references.
Moscow once again asserted last week that the Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno Karabakh fulfilled all the obligations assumed by the document; as for the claims about ethnic cleansing in Nagorno Karabakh, the Russian side demanded facts, no more or no less. In a briefing with journalists, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said: “As for the accusations of ethnic cleansing in Karabakh, we want the facts to be presented. Suppose there is any document from some international organizations considered authoritative in Yerevan, such as the UN or another organization. If there is even any document or statement proving that such ethnic cleansing took place, please provide us with references.
In other words, the fact that the people of Artsakh were attacked as a result of Baku’s “special operation” in front of the Russian peacekeepers, who were under siege for months, were starving, then left Artsakh and today, there are no Armenians left in Artsakh – there are not enough “facts” for official Moscow.
Nothing is surprising about Moscow’s public cynic assessments. Civilians were killed in Artsakh, and even Russian peacekeepers were killed as a result of special operations of Azerbaijani-Turkish units; if official Moscow kept a shameful silence on the occasion of these facts, it is hard to imagine that the depopulation of Artsakh could be considered an outstanding fact in Moscow.
As a result of the attack by Azerbaijan on September 19, according to the Armenian side, Artsakh gave 223 victims, 25 of them civilians, including five children. However, it seems that the Russian ruling elite, as you can see, will reach new heights in the matter of “ombudsmanship” for the barbarian, “phosphorous” dictator of MGIMO Aliyev (MGIMO– Moscow State Institute of International Relations).
As always, Moscow continues to describe the accusations from Armenia against the Russian peacekeepers as destructive. “We see those statements, we consider them destructive, most importantly, untrue,” Zakharova said, adding that statements like Armenia’s are “attempts to falsify the facts” whose purpose is to “avoid responsibility.” He did not clarify which accusations from Armenia against the Russian peacekeepers are “false.”
Just a few days ago, Baku officially announced, at the level of the Minister of Defense of that country, that the Azerbaijani army “will continue to be transformed according to the Turkish model” and that “the work to bring the Azerbaijani army into line with the model used in the Turkish Armed Forces will continue.” This fact did not bother the Russian MFA at all. The involvement of NATO member Turkey in Azerbaijan does not concern Moscow; they do not dare to express themselves in this matter. Instead, the Russian Foreign Ministry monitors the contacts between Armenia and the West and actively distributes statements and comments.
And, unsurprisingly, the official statements of Moscow and Baku seem to have been prepared in the same “offices.”
A few days ago, the representative of the Azerbaijani MFA, Aykhan Hajizada, responded to the publication of the Armenian MFA, in which the RA Foreign Ministry recorded «34 years ago during these days pogroms against Armenians in Baku became the culmination of the policy of forcible displacement and ethnic cleansing of the Armenian population from Azerbaijani SSR. Hundreds were murdered, mutilated, and disappeared, and half a million became refugees. We pay tribute to the memory of innocent victims and stress the imperative to prevent such policies and the need for all the rights to be addressed».
Here is the answer of the Azerbaijani official: “Accusing Azerbaijan of deportations and ethnic cleansing is absurd.”
In other words, the positions of the authorities of Russia and Azerbaijan regarding the facts of three decades ago or 3-4 years ago are, unfortunately, the same.
Emma GABRIELYAN
“Aravot” daily newspaper, 17.01.2024
The publication was produced within the project “Competing Narratives” implemented by Media Initiatives Center and n-ost.
