"Azerbaijan has legitimate right to conduct anti-terror operation in Karabakh" Russian expert on Armenian provocations

New shootings at the positions of the Azerbaijani Army by Armenian armed formations in the zone of temporary responsibility of the Armenian armed forces have clearly shown that there is no chance to count on peace and calmness.

It is also obvious that the Armenian side's blatant provocation, during which an Azerbaijani soldier was wounded, is linked to the ongoing talks in Washington between the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia to frustrate the dialogue between the sides. It is also impossible to ignore the fact that armed provocations are increasingly being carried out from the area where Russian peacekeepers are deployed, who traditionally "blindly do not see" Armenian militants on Azerbaijani soil.

Unfortunately, Moscow's involvement in the destructive activities of the Armenians is particularly evident at present. How else should we assess the recent statement by Zakharova, the Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman, who stated directly that Moscow does not like the negotiations between Baku and Yerevan with the participation of American and European mediators? And such outbursts were heard more than once. The reason is obvious: in Washington and Brussels, the negotiations are more effective. It seems that the masks have been thrown off - Russia has indicated its destructive position.

It is not difficult for the Russian Peacekeeping Contingent to affect the situation, as their positions are inextricably linked, as has been demonstrated repeatedly, with the Armenian separatists. Azerbaijan, of course, responded appropriately to Armenian provocateurs: in a retaliatory strike on June 28, the Azerbaijani armed forces killed five Armenian terrorists.

However, this does not remove the importance of the problem as a whole - it is clear that peace in the region is possible only after the complete disappearance of the remnants of the Armenian army from the Karabakh. And if Armenia and Russia are delaying this, Azerbaijan may well deal with the problem on its own - quickly and harshly clearing its territory of separatist evil spirits. There is no need to feel sorry for the Armenian side later and blame the Azerbaijani side - Baku warned more than once, as they say, in a good way. And reasonable people support it in this.

According to Tatyana Poloskova, doctor of political sciences, state advisor of the first class of the Russian Federation, "any illegal armed groups on Azerbaijani soil are extremely dangerous - today they are here, and tomorrow, moving uncontrollably, they may appear in a completely different place, threatening peaceful towns and villages".

The political analyst has no doubt that Azerbaijan has the legal right to conduct an anti-terrorist operation if such incidents recur.

"I understand that it is a sacrifice, a difficult, hard way out, but one has to maintain security somehow," Poloskova told Caliber.Az.

To hope that Pashinyan will sign a peace agreement and everything will stop overnight, in her opinion, is not worth it. Simply because tomorrow, someone else may come to replace Pashinyan, who is so far relatively popular among the Armenian people. And this "someone" will once again begin to renegotiate the existing agreements.

"But I am not so sure that the provocations are aimed specifically at disrupting the negotiations. After all, this kind of thing only affects the negotiations indirectly. If the states have decided to agree, they will agree, but in this case, it is Yerevan that is slowing down the signing of a peace agreement. It is also a fact that Armenia does not try in any way to withdraw its armed forces from Karabakh. In general, I think that Pashinyan will not sign a peace agreement in the near future - in Armenia, as we can see, society is not yet ready to accept this reality. Why? Because no practical work, apart from the public loud statements of the prime minister, is carried out with the population. On the contrary, revanchist sentiments are being fomented. If Pashinyan wanted to sign a peace treaty, then appropriate informational, I emphasize, in addition to general political, work would be carried out, including in regular military units. In this case, we don't see it. And it makes us think,” said the political scientist.

Pashinyan, according to Poloskova's definition, is making various political leaps but is not going for constructive solutions. "Why is Yerevan still not dealing, for more than two years now, with the issue of defining borders?

In general, she says, many things speak for themselves. For example, when people in Armenia ask Pashinyan why he supports the recognition of Karabakh as Azerbaijani territory, he usually answers with a question: 'Do you want a new war?

"I don't think this response is constructive and aims to reduce revanchist sentiments. That is, in my view, it is to be expected that as long as negotiations are underway, there will be provocations and revanchist forces in the form of the Armenian diaspora will hinder this in every way possible. But if the sides really want to reach an agreement, they will do so. But if it is only an imitation of negotiations on the part of Armenia, that is another matter - here every detail can be caught and everything can be undone. In my opinion, Yerevan is imitating negotiations, while in fact, it is aiming at armed provocations, undermining the atmosphere of security in the region - everything that Armenia has been doing for so many years," sums up the Russian political scientist.