Pashinyan uncouples separatist carriage from Armenian train
Yerevan can't wait to change its overlord

ANALYTICS  16 January 2023 - 13:25

The rift between the Armenian government and "state minister" Vardanyan in Karabakh's "grey zone" is growing every day. Judging by the latest statements of Yerevan and Khankendi, the discord between Pashinyan and the "Karabakh manager" has reached a critical level and Yerevan is not against giving a kick to the remaining separatists. And Vardanyan's gang has already suffered serious losses in this confrontation.

Pashinyan himself and all his entourage almost from the moment of Vardanyan's appearance in Karabakh hardly hidden his tacit disapproving attitude towards this Kremlin's puppet. And Yerevan has much to be concerned about: rumors circulate that Vardanyan may relocate to Yerevan in the near future, replacing Pashinyan. Meanwhile, the Kremlin's protégé is scoring points and votes of the electorate, playing up his rise to power following a well-established pattern of former "Karabakh clan" leaders Kocharyan and Sargsyan. It is clear that feeling such a sword of Damocles hanging above him, although, in words, Pashinyan fidgeted.

Vardanyan and his team allow themselves public statements without making the slightest reference to Yerevan. Amid the "humanitarian crisis" in Khankendi, the Russian oligarch is set to dislike all views of Armenians and their admirers, as if forgetting about the declarations and intentions of the Armenian authorities. He wants to hype by dramatizing to the utmost the situation with "hungry" Khankendi residents. So, it is clear that Pashinyan's irritation and concern are growing.

And the other day Yerevan, unmasking, finally made it clear what was going on, visibly frightening Vardanyan. The other day at a press conference Nikol Pashinyan said that "the people of Karabakh should deal with the Karabakh issue themselves, and Armenia will only provide support".

The Prime Minister stressed that in fact both today and yesterday "the whole international community has recognised Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan". His statement immediately outraged separatists. In particular, Pashinyan's recommendations were scathingly criticised at a meeting of the "soviet council" of the separatist entity, as they "do not correspond to the ideas of the national struggle and the position of the people and authorities of Nagorno Karabakh".

But it seems that the head of Armenia was not particularly impressed and the very next day he added more fuel: "A political dialogue must start between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh, and our colleagues in 'Artsakh' must not give reasons to be accused of disrupting constructive dialogue or making it impossible," Pashinyan said at a January 12 cabinet meeting, essentially shifting responsibility for the situation in Karabakh to the separatists.

It should be noted that for Vardanyan's gang such prospects threaten a disaster because Baku does not perceive the separatist leaders as negotiators, justifiably considering them as international criminals. So a dialogue with the Azerbaijani authorities is possible for them only if they report to the Prosecutor General's Office of Azerbaijan.

The Armenian authorities in principle do not see themselves as a party to the negotiations on the situation on the Lachin road. "Sort it out yourselves," parliament speaker Alain Simonyan frankly made it clear.

"Has Armenia blocked the Lachin corridor? At the expense of what should the Armenian side conduct in these negotiations, is the step on the Lachin corridor mentioned in the Trilateral Statement? No, it doesn't. Why should we want the trilateral agreement, which is the basis for Armenians living in 'Artsakh', the name of Nagorno-Karabakh and the rest, to turn into nothing because of your actions? From the moment you enter this conversation as a party, you cancel the statement of November 9," Simonyan said.

He then uttered a kind of "piece-wise" patriotism, which does not fit the "holy" ideals of Armenians. The speaker confessed that he did not rule out that "the goal of the adversary is to draw Armenia into this conversation". He, therefore, suggests that the Lachin "corridor" has been "closed" for this very reason, in order "to impose a similar corridor on us through Armenian territory".

Moreover, Yerevan is distancing itself from the Moscow "envoy" in other areas as well, for example in the issue of the mythical humanitarian crisis which is Vardanyan's most important narrative. In particular, the assistant to the Armenian president's national security advisor Vladimir Pogosyan said on the air of the program "Noyan Tapan" that there was no blockade of Lachin road. To the question of the astonished anchorwoman, does it mean that it is possible to deliver baby food to Khankendi without problems - "that is, there is no blockade of Lachin road?", he answered with a question: "And who was talking about the blockade?".

To all appearances, Pashinyan's desire to so blatantly dissociate himself from the Karabakh Armenians indicates that Armenia has entered a new phase of selling its sovereignty, in this case counting on France as the buyer. As is known from the media, Paris is preparing to send an impressive group of EU observers and security service representatives - some 400 people.

Yerevan is simply impatient to change its overlord, as evidenced by the recent attempt to siege the 102nd Russian military base in Gyumri with pickets and statements about the "Russian threat in Armenia". Moreover, Pashinyan is already acting according to a new scheme developed by France. That is why Yerevan has been so unkind to the remnants of the separatists - obviously, it is proposed to deal with the Russian puppet Vardanyan as well. And instructions of Paris seem to be strictly followed by the Armenian Premier, all the more so because the recommendation "to crush Vardanyan" is convenient for him.

Such a showdown between Yerevan and the separatists serves Azerbaijan well - when they quarrel, it is better not to waste energy but simply to wait. One way or another, it is obvious that Azerbaijan will not allow any external force to reshape the political balance in the region. Attempts of any kind of provocation, pumping weapons into gangs and plundering Azerbaijan's natural resources will be stopped not only by effective diplomacy but also by an impressive "Iron Fist".

Caliber.Az