Expert: Armenian sabotage acts focus of Azerbaijani, Russian defence chiefs' phone talk

An Azerbaijani expert has said that a telephone conversation between the Azerbaijani and Russian foreign ministers on August 2 is linked to Armenian provocations on Azerbaijani territories under Russian peacekeepers' temporary control.

Expert Adalat Valiyev made the remarks in an interview with Baku-based news website Bizim Media on August 3.

"Although it was not officially reported, this phone call was most likely related to recent provocations by Armenian militants in areas temporarily under Russian peacekeepers' control," he said.

To recap, earlier Gazeta.ru quoted the Russian Defence Ministry press service as saying that the counterparts discussed "issues of ensuring regional security and other topics of mutual interest".

Expert Verdiyev reiterated that Azerbaijan firmly insists on the withdrawal of Armenian militants from its territories.

"President Ilham Aliyev stated that during his visit to Baku a general of the Russian Defence Ministry promised that the removal of those militants from the area would be completed by the end of June. But even though more than a month has passed, those armed men have not been removed from the area. On the contrary, those armed men are digging trenches, shooting at Azerbaijani soldiers, and removing the roof coverings of the houses belonging to Azerbaijanis from the territory of Lachin with vehicles belonging to peacekeepers. Also, trenches are being dug in Khojaly District. In such a case, of course, Azerbaijan is forced to implement countermeasures. This seems to have worried the Russian defence minister, therefore he called," Valiyev added.

According to the expert, Moscow is inviting Azerbaijan to be cautious and wait.

"But I don't believe it will work any longer. Why should the Zangazur corridor remain closed if the Lachin corridor is operational? Let Azerbaijan close the Lachin corridor by deploying its own soldiers in this case. Others should not be allowed to enter or exit the area where peacekeepers are working. We cannot use diplomatic language to force Armenia to comply with the terms of the joint statement [signed by Baku, Moscow and Yerevan on November 10, 2020]. The language of power reaches Armenia more quickly," he noted.

On August 3, the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry reported that soldier Anar Kazimov was killed by illegal Armenian armed groups in Azerbaijan's Lachin District under the temporary Russian peacekeepers' control. Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said that Armenia's political and military leadership is responsible for the bloody incident.

The Armenian political and military leadership, which has not yet withdrawn its illegal armed groups from the territory of the neighbouring country, is fully responsible for the incident on the Azerbaijani territory, the ministry said.

It stressed the fact that Armenia has so far failed to honour its commitments under the November 2020 trilateral ceasefire deal, by not removing illegal Armenian armed groups from Azerbaijan's internationally-recognised territories.

"The bloody incident that occurred on August 3 once again demonstrates that Armenia grossly violated the tripartite agreement, and at the same time undermined efforts towards the normalisation of relations between the two countries. This also shows Armenia's disrespect for the efforts of international mediators," the ministry added.

It pledged to "continue taking all corresponding measures to ensure the security of Azerbaijan's territories and the integrity of its borders".

Armenian media reported that in Karabakh, in the zone of temporary control of Russian peacekeepers, four members of illegal Armenian armed formations were killed and 15 more were injured, according to Caliber.Az.

The Azerbaijani and Armenian defence ministries have not so far been observed to officially comment on the Armenian media reports.

Under the trilateral cease-fire agreement signed by Baku, Moscow, and Yerevan on November 10, 2020, approximately 2,000 Russian peacekeepers were stationed in Karabakh for five years. The agreement required Armenia to withdraw all of its troops from Azerbaijani territory that it had occupied since the early 1990s.

The agreement ended the three-decade conflict over Azerbaijan's Karabakh region and the seven adjacent regions occupied by Armenian armed forces during the war in the early 1990s.

The deal also stipulated the return of Azerbaijan's Kalbajar, Aghdam and Lachin districts. Before the signing of the peace deal, Azerbaijan liberated 300 villages, settlements, city centres, and historic Shusha city that had been under Armenian occupation for about 30 years.