Armenia is preparing for a new war Is ex-minister starting to miss old times?

Armenian Ambassador to Russia Vagarshak Harutyunyan has met with the Indian Ambassador there, Pavan Kapoor. According to the press service of the Armenian Embassy, the matter of bilateral cooperation between Armenia and India in various spheres was discussed during the meeting, as well as prospects of deepening relations between the two countries.

It might seem, that this information does not seem to merit any special attention, but it is directly related to Azerbaijan, directly affecting its interests. It is enough to read the statement released by the press service of the Embassy of Armenia in Russia to be convinced of this, which notes that Harutyunyan “detailed the current situation in the region as a result of the large-scale aggression of Azerbaijan against the people of Nagorno- Karabakh in his conversation with his colleague”. In addition, Harutyunyan voiced the familiar Armenian fake regarding a “blockade of the Lachin corridor”, allegedly carried out by Azerbaijan.

There is therefore, once again, such a blatant lie that even Goebbels' propaganda pales in comparison. Talking about this “blockade”, Baku presented a number of arguments proving that the official Yerevan, as always, is doing nothing but unleashing a deliberate provocation against our country and, by and large, one should be taken by surprise only by the fact that the Armenian side is convinced that the many repeated lies look more reliable.

I think we should look at another point, though. Do you know what Harutyunyan refers to when talking about “the large-scale aggression of Azerbaijan against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh”? That is what he calls the 44-day war. The war, which ended Armenia’s occupation of more than a quarter-century of 20% of Azerbaijan’s territory. A war, provoked by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who took a number of actions that proved the unwillingness of official Yerevan to engage in constructive dialogue on a peaceful settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict.

In this regard, it is also worth recalling the shocking confessions from the former Advisor to the Prime Minister of Armenia, former Head of the Defense Ministry, current Ambassador of the country to Russia, Vagarshak Harutyunyan. As early as July 2020, before taking up the post of adviser to Pashinyan, he boasted in an interview: “We have access to Baku, the whole oil complex, our striking forces are capable of destroying the economic potential of Azerbaijan, which is concentrated in three cities - Baku, Sumgayit and Kirovabad (Ganja)”.

In early October 2020, immediately after the first missile attack on Ganja and the shelling of Tartar and Naftalan, Vagarshak Harutyunyan openly said in front of the camera: “We now have developed a tactic of attacking the artillery. And we will attack civilian settlements in the future to cause panic...”.

On the night of October 17, 2020, a peacefully asleep Ganja, the second largest city of Azerbaijan, located more than a hundred kilometers from the combat zone, was treacherously attacked by ballistic missiles SCUD/ “Elbrus”. Houses in the area of the shelling were completely destroyed and residents were entrapped under the rubble. The missile attack has killed a total of 16 people, injured more than 55 civilians, and caused significant damage to civilian infrastructure and vehicles. Among the dead and injured were women, elderly people and children. This was the second shelling of Ganja during the war. On the night from October 10 to 11, the Armenian missile “Elbrus” hit a four-storey residential building in the city, killing 10 people and injuring another 34.

I remember perfectly well that back in those days, Armenia, true to its traditional and hypocritical manner, “categorically denied” reports of missile strikes against Ganja. Speaking to “Armenpress”, then Defense Minister Shushan Stepanyan’s press secretary said Baku’s statement was a lie. Despite the fact that the world has already been presented with photo and video evidence of these Armenian crimes.

I have also already provided evidence of how V. Harutyunyan announced these atrocities and how he reacted to them. The reaction of Pashinyan is also very revealing: after all these tragic events for Azerbaijan, he awarded Harutyunyan with an honourable deployment to Russia. And now this “diplomat” is intensively trying to convince the world community, first of all the Russians, on the legality of Armenia’s actions and the illegality of Azerbaijan’s actions. In fact, this Armenian figure is actively provoking a new Armenian-Azerbaijani war.

It is impossible not to talk about the mendacity of Nikol Pashinyan himself. It is quite simple: the PM declared recognition of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, including the Karabakh Economic Region. It is him, who is responsible for Armenia’s foreign policy, and no ambassador of that country has the right to walk by himself. However, the Armenian ambassador to the Russian Federation makes a statement that essentially denies the territorial integrity of our country. Given Harutyunyan’s previous status, we can conclude that, in reality, Armenia is not going to recognize anything and is not seeking peace, but is preparing for a new war. During this preparation, it has developed military ties, including with India, while waging a deceptive informational campaign and attempting to present itself as a victim rather than an aggressor. Although the president of Azerbaijan has repeatedly stated in different international arenas that our country has no territorial claims against Armenia.

What does all of this mean? The Armenian leadership is unprepared and incapable to take real steps on the road to peace. This is evidenced, in particular, by the Turkish media report that the volume of the already delivered and expected to be delivered to Armenia only Indian weapons in financial equivalent reached the amount of $750 million. In Azerbaijan, everyone sees it, takes note of it and draws their own conclusions. We want peace, but we understand that with a neighbour like Armenia, one must always be prepared for war.

Akbar Hasanov