Gritted teeth and clenched heart
Lachin checkpoint in prism of international diplomacy

ANALYTICS  26 April 2023 - 14:00

The reaction of the world powers to the construction of the checkpoint on the border with Armenia by Azerbaijan can undoubtedly be called a bitter pill to take when official Baku is absolutely right.

Thus, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement which said: "In the context of recent developments on April 23, we specifically note the unacceptability of any unilateral steps in violation of the basic provisions of the Trilateral Statement of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia on November 9, 2020, whether it is an uncoordinated change of the Lachin corridor, or attempts to use it for purposes not corresponding to the peaceful agenda”.

It is noteworthy that the document is drawn up neutrally, without indicating the country that “violated” the basic provisions of the Trilateral Statement, which, of course, was undertaken to emphasise Moscow’s “special position”, without entering into a confrontation with any side.

It is worth noting, however, that the Trilateral Statement does not prohibit Azerbaijan from establishing checkpoints within its sovereign territory. And this document can be interpreted only taking into account the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, recognised by the entire world community.

By the way, the last point of paragraph 6 of the Statement confirms the sovereignty of Azerbaijan over the Lachin road. "The Republic of Azerbaijan guarantees the safety of traffic along the Lachin corridor for citizens, vehicles and freight in both directions," it reads. It would be nonsense to impose on Azerbaijan the obligation to guarantee the safety of traffic, denying it sovereignty over the road.

So it is more than natural that the Azerbaijani side, according to this paragraph, not only has the right, but is also obliged to establish a checkpoint at the beginning of the Lachin road. To clarify, let's imagine a picture: an Armenian grandmother and a militant stuffed with explosives are traveling on the same bus. By neutralising the militant at the very border, Azerbaijan, among other things, in full accordance with paragraph 6 of the statement, guarantees the safety of the Armenian grandmother.

But what Russia should seriously pay attention to is those provisions of the tripartite document that are ignored by the Armenian side. In particular, the Armenian armed forces, in violation of paragraph 4 of the agreement, have not yet been withdrawn from Karabakh. For two and a half years, Baku, as a gesture of goodwill, did not establish a checkpoint on the border, hoping for the fulfillment by the Armenian and Russian sides of the points of the signed statement.

However, the Armenian armed formations not only did not leave the territory of Azerbaijan, but until recently replenished their personnel and received new military equipment, weapons, including anti-tank and anti-personnel mines. More recently, Azerbaijani military have become victims of such mines. Under these conditions, the construction of the checkpoint has turned from a legal right into an urgent need.

Perhaps the most curious passage in the Russian Foreign Ministry's undoubtedly anticipated statement is the message to the Western bloc. “We also warn external Western players and local Russophobic elements working on their opportunistic agenda against attempts to stir up the situation, including through a slandering campaign against Russia,” the statement says.

At the same time, from the perspective of this message, the publications of a number of pro-Kremlin telegram channels, which for the most part supported Azerbaijan in the issue of building a checkpoint on the border, become clear. The publications refer to the threat to the South Caucasus emanating from Armenia, whose plans include igniting the fire of a new front against Russia in the region. So, it turns out that the Kremlin is satisfied with everything, in principle. Armenia is no longer a stable party, and it seems that its isolation is becoming a priority for Russia.

As for other actors, the US was more specific in specifying the "culprit" and at the same time more vague in the legal basis of the "accusation. This is not surprising, since Washington is inclined to disavow the Trilateral Statement for the reason that it was signed with Russian mediation.

"The United States is deeply concerned that Azerbaijan's establishment of a checkpoint in the Lachin Corridor is undermining efforts to build confidence in the peace process," US State Department Deputy Press Officer Vedant Patel said.

Well, nothing provocative and at least slightly pretending to be an international scandal. For our part, we would like to dispel the concerns of American diplomats: in fact, the construction of the checkpoint not only does not "undermine efforts to establish confidence in the peace process", but on the contrary, it will contribute to building confidence.

Indeed, from now on, the Azerbaijani side will itself filter the flow of goods and people, detaining everything suspicious - from weapons to clergymen with bombs in their bosoms. This condition will force the Armenian side to stop deliveries of such suspicious goods and persons to Karabakh, which will save the parties from the burden of all kinds of ambiguous situations and, of course, will contribute to the establishment of trust between Baku and Yerevan.

As for the united Europe, Josep Borrel, head of the European Union diplomatic service, stated that the decision of Azerbaijan to establish a checkpoint on the Lachin road “contradicts the call of the European Union to reduce tension in the region”.

To begin with, it would be a good idea to understand what the call to "reduce tension" includes, what its actual content is. If the European understanding of reducing tensions in the region should be read as "do not interfere with Armenia," then Azerbaijan's decision really runs counter to the EU's call. It is not worth commenting here at all.

It should be noted that in general the negotiations mediated by Brussels were marked by positive dynamics, but at the decisive moment they were disrupted by the Armenian and French sides. This, if you remember, is about Pashinyan's absurd condition for the inclusion of France in the negotiation format, which actually disrupted the next meeting in Brussels in December 2022.

Here we come to France. Its sharp reaction is not surprising - it is in the tradition of this state to perceive everything undertaken by Azerbaijan in this way. The official representative of the French Foreign Ministry, Anne Claire Legendre, said: “France condemns the creation by Azerbaijan of a checkpoint at the entrance to a new road in the Lachin corridor, which is contrary to the commitments made under the ceasefire agreements and damages the negotiation process.”

The fact that the creation of a checkpoint does not contradict any obligations, but even contributes to their implementation, has already been proved above. The press secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Aykhan Hajizada hastened to enlighten his French colleague about this in his response statement.

It is noteworthy that the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry considered it necessary to respond to the French side, apparently because it was the French side that chose the unacceptable in this case vocabulary of "condemning the Azerbaijani side. Fortunately, we are not surprised by the partisan opinion of France and we do not really care much about it.

However, it is necessary, of course, to respond to the attacks. Otherwise they might think that silence is a sign of agreement. By the way in its relations with this country Azerbaijan is not limiting itself to replies, it takes a proactive stance. As recently as March 26, 2023 Aykhan Hajizada expressed Azerbaijan's condemnation of the excessive and disproportionate use of force by law enforcement officials against public protests in France, in some cases even inhumane behavior towards protesters in accordance with President Macron's decision.

There is no doubt that Macron's short-sighted policy, both inside and outside the country, will give the Azerbaijani side many more reasons to express condemnation.

Summing up all of the above, we can conclude that with a clenched heart and gritted teeth the world powers are forced to accept Azerbaijan's sovereign right to establish checkpoints on its territory.

After all, it is good when you have law and force on your side. Armenia, which has neither, should not rely on the official support of the great powers to slow down the peace process in the South Caucasus. We also have an antidote for unofficial methods of struggle - "Iron Fist" for "long-suffering neighbors" and filigree diplomacy for all others.

Caliber.Az