Armenian separatists may resort to last suicidal attack Russian expert on Caliber.Az

Caliber.Az interview with leading expert of the Russian International Affairs Council Alexei Naumov.

- As you know, the separatist junta has refused to accept Baku's food cargo and opposes the use of the Aghdam-Khankedi road. What assessment would you give to these facts?

- In my opinion, the provision of food aid to the Karabakh Armenians was a strong and vivid action on Baku's part, because, in addition to material benefits, it is also a demonstration of building a bridge to Karabakh's integration into the main part of Azerbaijan. And what we are witnessing now is sabotage organized by Karabakh Armenians in response to Baku's helping hand. Those blocking the convoys and refusing humanitarian aid are trying to show that allegedly Karabakh has the right to independence, to some statuses, although everyone knows that Karabakh is Azerbaijan and that its integration into Azerbaijani society is inevitable and inescapable. And just now there is an occasion to realize this fact, to show unity and readiness to establish ties. But this has not been done, on the contrary, we see that the situation in Karabakh is approaching a new stage of conflict, when separatists unwilling to come to terms with reality, in fact, take hostages of peaceful residents of the Armenian population of Karabakh and dispose of their fates.

However, it seems to me, that the majority of Karabakh Armenians would like to live and coexist peacefully with Azerbaijanis, obtain Azerbaijani citizenship and integrate. Unfortunately, we can state that there are fewer and fewer chances for a peaceful solution, again due to the separatist sentiments in Karabakh.

- How do you assess the current internal political situation in Armenia on the eve of the Yerevan mayoral elections?

- The situation in Armenia now is unstable and tense. For example, in the elections to the Council of Elders, Tigran Avinyan, the candidate of the authorities, is being pushed through unscrupulously. The campaigning is mainly in his favour, and since the turnout is expected to be small, his victory will be inevitable. It is also obvious that the Armenian political system is in a deep crisis, although the population would like to be able to influence politics in their country, but the authorities will certainly not allow it. So, the elections to the mayor's office in Yerevan will in no way change the difficult internal political situation in Armenia.

- What forces are pushing Armenia towards a new confrontation with Azerbaijan, given Yerevan's new provocations on the conditional border?

- Armenia is now in a historically difficult period. In fact, it is on the verge of realizing that it can move forward only by reconciling with Azerbaijan, otherwise, it will collapse. This is exactly what Armenia is facing today. That is, either reconciliation and recognition that Karabakh is Azerbaijan not only in words but also in deeds, or the political collapse of the Armenian state.

Undoubtedly, there are elements in Armenian society that do not accept reality and are ready to do anything to achieve some imaginary, ephemeral political goals that are unrealistic and push Armenian society towards war. The connivance of external players, such as France, which unashamedly uses the word "Artsakh" and de facto disagrees with the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, certainly plays a significant role in the promotion of such goals. This is also happening through the mediation of some European politicians who, under the slogan of fighting for so-called democracy and freedom, violate international law and the universally recognized principle of inviolability of Azerbaijan's borders. I generally believe that both Russia and Azerbaijan are “alien” countries for the EU and the US.

- What is really behind Paris' pro-Armenian stance?

- Behind Paris' pro-Armenian position is a distorted idea of democracy and freedom, the division of countries into good and bad, evil and good. And in this paradigm, Azerbaijan is an evil country... Accordingly, France will always support Armenia, which is supposedly democratic and free. Plus, there is a significant influence of the large Armenian Diaspora. We understand that politicians in the EU countries are extremely dependent on internal political factors, and attracting the large Armenian Diaspora to their side can help the authorities in Paris. But the fact is that even strong French support will not be able to refute the fact that Azerbaijan has a political, diplomatic, military and economic advantage.

- What, in your opinion, contributed to the departure of the separatist junta leader Araik and some of his henchmen?

- It will sound like an anecdote, but the reality is that someone has to hand over the keys to Khankendi to the Azerbaijani commandant, and apparently, Araik Harutyunyan does not want to do that. That's why he took off his powers so that someone else could do it. So, it is obvious that the separatists are running out of opportunities for any resistance, so it is not excluded that the collapse of this unviable entity will come soon.

- Could there be new military clashes in the near future?

- Unfortunately, I admit this version. In the face of agony, the Armenian separatists will try one last time to make a suicidal attack. This is a natural situation showing the failure and death of the self-proclaimed entity before a new sun rises over the whole united and independent Azerbaijan.