Author: Anna Tamamian

BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 18

Trend:

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who had recently pretended to be infected with COVID-19, suddenly recovered and departed to Minsk to take part in a meeting of representatives of the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

It should be noted that the EAEU summit was held in Minsk at the level of the prime ministers of the organization’s member states, but formally, Pashinyan should not have attended this event due to his rank as the head of state. According to the status, it was the deputy prime minister of the Armenian government who should have participated in the summit. Armenia is a parliamentary republic where the prime minister has broader powers.

To repeat: due to his status, he may have not arrived in Minsk and sent instead his deputy. On the other hand, Pashinyan is officially the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armenian Armed Forces, and in the context of the aggravation of the conflict with Azerbaijan, his flight to Belarus to participate in this meeting looked at least out of time. Why did Pashinyan fly to Minsk?

Firstly, Pashinyan rushed to Minsk to meet with Russian Prime Minister Mishustin; despite the fact that the Armenian prime minister is treated with contempt in the political elite in Russia, the meeting in Minsk gave a chance to obtain the favor of the Russian leadership.

Secondly, Pashinyan, through his own fault, has accumulated numerous negative factors including the provocation organized by him on the border with Azerbaijan, a bad epidemic situation in Armenia, and a sharp decline of his rating in the country.

Thirdly, Pashinyan desperately needs help in the confrontation with Azerbaijan that relies on a powerful army and influential allies, especially after Azerbaijan’s threat to launch a missile strike at the Armenian nuclear power plant in response to Yerevan’s promise to strike at the dam of the Mingachevir reservoir.

Even prior to the Minsk summit, vigorous statements were made in Armenia, which expressed hope for Russian mediation in the settlement of the border conflict. Moreover, Armenians also counted on the political support of the Pashinyan regime from the Kremlin. But none of this happened for one simple reason: Moscow knows very well what a bad politician Pashinyan is and quickly saw through his provocation game on the border.

Besides, Moscow did not forget that Pashinyan showed open disrespect for the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) by ordering the arrest of the current secretary general of the organization, Colonel General Yuri Khachaturov. In response to Pashinyan’s demand to urgently convene a CSTO meeting to complain about Azerbaijan’s behavior, the “allies” said that “the meeting was postponed for an indefinite period.”

This was a serious blow to the political reputation of Pashinyan and his entourage. Everything that he managed to “achieve” in Minsk was reflected in his own statement: “There is no alternative to peace negotiations.”

BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 18

Trend:

Nizami Ganjavi International Center has sent an open letter to the UN and the European Union titled “Peace and Justice for Nagorno-Karabakh”, Trend reports.

“We fully support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Azerbaijan within the borders as recognized by the United Nations and the whole international community.

“Azerbaijan has received strong international legal support: no less than four resolutions of the UN Security Council demanding unconditional withdrawal of the Armenian troops from the occupied territories. That and the international community has reaffirmed that it does not recognize the acquisition of territory by war.

“The situation resulting from the illegal use of force can in no way be justified.
We strongly condemn indiscriminate targeting of Azerbaijani civilians and civilian objects along the border of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Illegal acitivities, as well as illicit settlement in the occupied lands of Azerbaijan must be ceased.

“And today, despite the provocations, and the breach of the ceasefire agreement, Azerbaijan is seeking redress through the appropriate legal channels, not rushing into armed response. Conflict is frequently indecisive, and invariably costly in blood as well as resources.

“This is the time to activate all possible diplomatic channels, the UN and the European Union should call for an immediate ceasefire, and use every means available at the international level to prevent any further military action. But it is also essential to advance the search for a final settlement of that long-standing conflict.

“To work for peace through peaceful means, that is one of the tenets of the Nizami Ganjavi International Center (NGIC). Thus, we call on the international community to live up to its previous resolutions, particularly United Nations Security Council Resolutions to restore the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan under international law, ensure withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from all seized lands of Azerbaijan as demanded and hopefully reach a lasting settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.

“The negotiation process mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs – Russia, France and the United States – has not brought any tangible result for the resolution of conflict. The Co- Chairs based on their mandate stemming from the Helsinki Final Act and the UNSCR should redouble their efforts to ensure meaningful negotiations towards achieving lasting peace.

“At a time when all of humanity is fighting a common enemy in the Coronavirus and COVID- 19, it is not sensible for humanity to divert our energies and resources to unleash death and destruction on each other. Let us appeal to reason and the rule of law in our pursuit of a peaceful and just settlement to the conflict of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Peace, true peace, is more than the cessation of war. It can only be built on justice and inclusion. That is a fitting task for the EU to assist in bringing about, and it would be an appropriate revival of the spirit of the United Nations on its 75th birthday. So let us work with the international community to overcome the unjust legacies of the past, to address our global challenges and to lay the foundations for better tomorrows,” reads the letter.