Turkish general: Peace with Azerbaijan - last chance for poverty-racked Armenia
Yücel Karauz on Caliber.Az

INTERVIEWS  25 May 2023 - 11:41

During the 44-day war in Karabakh the Armenian military clearly lacked national spirit, national dignity, and patriotism, believes retired Turkish general Yücel Karauz. The military officer believes that the Armenian soldiers had to be chained to cannons and locked up tightly in the tanks to prevent them from fleeing the battlefield. The Turkish general reminded about this in his conversation with Caliber.Az, suggesting that little will change in case of new hostilities in Karabakh.

"Today no mother in Armenia wants to send her son to the army. The fear and depression caused by the war in the autumn of 2020 do not leave Armenians to this day. A state unwilling to establish relations with Azerbaijan and Türkiye is literally falling apart before our eyes. The government of the country sees this but sits idle. Armenia simply needs to sign a peace treaty with Azerbaijan; otherwise, it will sink into poverty and sooner or later disappear from the world map. Its population has long been declining rapidly, and this process will gradually intensify. A peace treaty with Azerbaijan is the last chance for Armenia. If official Yerevan does not agree to reconciliation with Baku, the responsibility for the consequences will lie with the country's leadership," believes Karauz.

At the same time, he notes that Armenia was an economically backward republic long before the Karabakh wars and still is.

"As a result of the Second Karabakh War, the Armenian army lost 70 per cent of its armaments. After the defeat, the economy was severely damaged, from which it has not been able to recover to this day. Moreover, the post-war depression had reduced the employability of the Armenian population, as thousands of soldiers had died, many more had been wounded, and all of them would have been the most employable part of the population by age. In addition, the Armenian authorities do not support the veterans, or the families of the dead, which does nothing to boost national morale. People are left alone with their problems, and they fall into even greater despondency, turning into extreme dissatisfaction with the regime," stresses our interlocutor.

The professional military officer is convinced that peace with Azerbaijan and Türkiye is the only way out for Armenia.

"Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, instead of idly declaring his commitment to peace, should take real steps in this direction. Unfortunately, he lacks the determination and political will to finally sign a peace agreement. Today Armenia is ruled by external forces; they stir up unrest in Armenian society. Pashinyan recognizes that Karabakh is Azerbaijan, but he is not withdrawing his illegal armed groups from Karabakh. Before every meeting on a peace agreement, Armenia, trying to buy time and change the agenda, carries out military provocations. Official Yerevan must understand that abandoning the peace agenda will not be good for Armenia. Furthermore, there are limits to Azerbaijan's patience," concluded General Karauz.

Caliber.Az