Political manipulations disguised as humanitarian aid Russia’s provocative data gathering among Armenians

“Rossotrudnichestvo” in Armenia is collecting personal data from Armenians who voluntarily left Karabakh. According to Armenian government sources, people are being asked to provide scans of passports, birth certificates, and other documents.

The data collection is being carried out under the pretext of providing humanitarian assistance. But the real question is — what is this actually for? What assumptions can be made here?

Renowned experts shared their views on the matter with Caliber.Az.

Frankly speaking, said Armenian analyst and publicist Ishkhan Verdyan, he was quite surprised by the Russian initiative to provide humanitarian aid to Armenians who had left Karabakh.

“I immediately recalled how that same Russia — through its peacekeeping contingent in Karabakh and via its proxies (Vardanyan and Co) — blocked humanitarian shipments sent by Azerbaijan to those very same Armenians. Back then, people were genuinely in need of help, but no one cared. And now, suddenly, it has become important.

I could perhaps sympathise with the former Karabakh Armenians over the fact that they have become a political tool for Russia in its game against Armenia. But, as life shows, many of them are themselves not averse to remaining that tool to the very end,” the analyst remarked with regret.

From this, Verdyan suggests, one could assume that Russia is engaged in reviewing and mobilising its human resources.

“It is baffling that the Armenian state does not see such actions on its territory as a threat to its own statehood. Humanitarian aid is being sent into the country without being requested or authorised. I wonder if there will be any official reaction. Or is it too difficult to block Russian humanitarian aid in the same way they blocked Azerbaijani aid?” Verdyan asks.

Azerbaijani political commentator Murad Sadaddinov noted that it is most likely that new provocative actions are being prepared using individuals who previously lived in the territory of Karabakh.

“As we remember from the history of the Karabakh events, these people have always been used for political purposes in various provocations. Even in the early stages of the Karabakh conflict, we recall how they were used to stage rallies, make demands, and so on. Now, part of this contingent is located in Armenia.

It seems that collecting documents under the guise of delivering humanitarian aid — documents proving that they once lived in Karabakh — is a way of substantiating their residence in that territory.

I suspect that, to some extent, these individuals might be used in the future to lay claims against Azerbaijan — perhaps to demand that Azerbaijan allow them to return to the areas where they once lived. Or they may be used to pressure the Armenian leadership into ensuring their return,” the expert suggested.

Regarding this issue in general, the Azerbaijani side did not obstruct their residence in Azerbaijan, he reminded.

“The only condition, based on international legal norms, was that they had to become citizens of Azerbaijan. Those Armenians who accepted Azerbaijani citizenship were allowed to stay and live here.

If I’m not mistaken, some of them still remain in the Karabakh territory. But the majority left that area, openly stating that it was their own decision. Therefore, I believe that any provocations in the future will not have a significant impact on the processes underway in the South Caucasus,” Sadaddinov said.