Category: 2022

Provocations by the Azerbaijani side are being undertaken to implement the November 9 document, Colonel General Movses Hakobyan told Armenian News - NEWS.am.

Movses Hakobyan noted that talks fail to resolve the issue, so the enemy resorts to provocations.

“We understand how bad the November 9 document is, so Azerbaijan takes such steps. At the moment the situation is not tense, but not calm either,” General Hakobyan said.

From the tactical point of view, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces are trying to make border adjustments and establish positions on the border between the territories of the former NKAO and the territories taken under their control, the former Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan told NEWS.am.

According to him, Azerbaijanis want to bring Artsakh into a deeper and more comprehensive encirclement.

"The further Artsakh's enclave situation worsens, the easier it will be for Turkey and Azerbaijan to exert pressure and realize their long-term goals, which are to expel Armenians from Artsakh, to put pressure on the people of Artsakh.

And the strategic goal is to continue to put pressure on Armenia, to squeeze it even harder and open the roads through it, or as they call it to unblock the roads through Syunik. This will result in us also being under economic and geographic pressure. Besides, there will be attempts to change the demographic picture in Syunik and other parts of Armenia," he said.

Ohanyan expressed confidence that this is the result of Armenia-Russia, Armenia-Artsakh and Russian Defense Army-Artsakh peacekeepers cooperation not being on the same level as it should be. If Azerbaijan goes for such provocations, then it is so.

"Otherwise, the strategic points and heights that need to be occupied to ensure the security of the people of Artsakh would have been clarified. Despite the presence of Russian peacekeepers in Artsakh, the Defense Army has better information about the geographical peculiarities of Artsakh and should have taken all steps to ensure that all important heights were occupied and not under pressure from Azerbaijan.

Armenia and Artsakh, on the basis of mutual cooperation, should have strengthened the Armenian Armed Forces, supported the Artsakh Defense Army to restore combat readiness, drawn the borders of Armenia in our interests, and organized defense. Obviously, the Armenian authorities didn't think about all that. They don't realize that they have to work hard day and night on these directions, whereas their aim is just to inflate the number of police forces to keep their seats. This is unacceptable," said the head of the faction.

On August 1, starting from 09:00 in some areas of the northern and north-western border zone of the Republic of Artsakh the Azerbaijani units made an attempt to cross the line of contact and were stopped by the Defense Army.

As a result of the provocations by the Azerbaijani units a serviceman of the Army of Artsakh Albert Bakhshyan was wounded.

Detailed information about the incident was provided to the command of Russian peacekeeping forces.

As long as the strategic situation is fragile, there is always a risk of war, Seyran Ohanyan, Secretary of the parliamentary faction Armenia, former Minister of Defense of the country, told NEWS.am.

According to him, if minor provocations in the region are assessed in the context of global processes, within the CSTO, in connection with our strategic ally, a large-scale war may erupt at any moment.

He called the policy pursued by the current Armenian authorities and the illusions of so-called peace on the part of Azerbaijan and Turkey false.

"Experience shows that peace is not begged for. National and international guarantees are prepared for a decent peace. For today's authorities, peace is a guarantee, whereas peace is the result of a process.

National guarantees are related to domestic unity, economy and demography, and international guarantees are related to foreign policy, the right policy based on the right strategy and tactics, which within the framework of a calibrated partnership and allied cooperation can influence the enemy not to use force," Ohanyan said.

On all these fronts, the current authorities have done nothing since 2018 or since the 44-day war. What's more, they have destroyed the pre-existing structures.

"The problems in the region are obvious, threats from neighbors are looming very quickly over Armenia, and the authorities are busy promoting a false peace agenda, domestic problems, and the head of the government is on vacation. The authorities are not aware of the priorities and problems that are looming over the Armenian people and are not making decisions commensurate with the military and political situation.

When was the last time you saw high-ranking officials (Prime Minister, Speaker of Parliament, MPs and others) in combat positions and Artsakh? They have washed their hands of Artsakh and, surrendering everything, follow the way of "peace," the former minister highlighted.

He is sure that nobody from outside will dig trenches and strengthen the defense for Armenians. So if we do not fortify ourselves, no one will help us. Another thing is that the help of a strategic ally is needed in any case in terms of regional security within the framework of relations with Turkey.

"If there are no conscripts on the line of contact between the Defense Army of Artsakh and the Azerbaijani forces, the number of contract servicemen must be swiftly increased. The authorities must have promised Aliyev that the Defense Army will be withdrawn from Artsakh. That means surrendering the people of Artsakh, who live on their historical territory, to the enemy. If the Defense Army cannot fully perform its functions, there will be no Armenians left in Artsakh," Ohanyan added.

The Armenian authorities, according to his conviction, do not realize the catastrophe to which they have led Armenia and the Armenian people.

"But they are trying to divert attention by claiming that they are allegedly providing Artsakh with unprecedented amounts of social and economic assistance. Have the people of Artsakh faced such difficulties in the past, including security, economy, and demography? The authorities will bear responsibility for all that. The actions of the current authorities show that they are not aware of the decision-making procedures, because they are illiterate, or there is intent in their inaction. We are inclined towards the latter," Ohanyan said.

Ohanyan also stressed the importance of information provision as an important component of military actions in order to avoid panic in the society.

"When the authorities do not provide relevant information, the society itself starts spreading information or rumors. The authorities themselves must provide truthful and timely information and dispel the concerns of the population. I once ordered that information be given in a clear and timely manner. Information warfare is very important especially at the initial stage of military operations," said the former head of the Armenian Defense Ministry.

Azerbaijan's latest actions are a prelude to a planned war. The first commander of the NKR Self-Defense Army, military commander Arkady Karapetyan (Ago) told NEWS.am today.

"Azerbaijan is not trying to escalate the situation, Azerbaijan is preparing for the battle. It is clearly fulfilling its plan, the war is inevitable. Their ultimate goal is to destroy Armenia and the Armenian people. Azerbaijan is saying that Yerevan is mine, but people calm themselves with the fact that through provocations Azerbaijan only wants a corridor. We won't be able to implement our plans until this nation unites and becomes a force. We don't even know what we want, because we have no ideology. The fact that conscripts from Armenia will no longer go to Artsakh means that Artsakh is left alone. The authorities of the Republic of Armenia have washed their hands of Artsakh. Everything is very clear, no matter what they say. The last session of our first republic started like this: we could have given Karabakh weapons and ammunition, but we didn't. Even now little has changed, everything is repeated," Karapetyan noted.

According to Arkady Karapetyan, our Armed Forces are not in the best condition today, but the problem can be solved in a few days.

"It is necessary to bring the army to such a state that we can bypass everyone. I think the most difficult thing for us is the moral and psychological condition of the army. We have no spine now. You have to serve in the army like churches serve in the army. You don't have to work in the army, you have to serve, because you get joy from serving, and the efficiency increases a thousandfold," Arkady Karapetyan said.

According to Arkady Karapetyan, now it is impossible to imagine what may happen when Russian peacekeepers leave Artsakh, because the situation in the world is arranged in such a way that it is impossible even to predict what will happen in half an hour.

"We need to talk about what will happen tomorrow. I am optimistic because our people have a sense of Sardarapat. We're dealing with a lot of issues. We feel like we're not important to the world, which is why we're in this situation. And in fact, we are very important. We have always accomplished what we have accomplished on our own. God shows us everything, we just have to see. Our program must be changed, it is obvious that our potential and possibilities are very great," said Arkady Karapetyan.

Referring to a statement by Arsen Torosyan, a member of the Civil Accord faction, that death has been preached to us for decades, Karapetyan noted that the world also needs to be protected.

"Whoever says that, let him live peacefully, fat and fortunate in America. Who preaches death, there is no such thing. If there was such a thing, we just wouldn't exist. The world doesn't want peace, there are nations that openly say Armenia should be destroyed, such as the Republic of Pakistan. Well, let's tell Pakistan that we are your brother. Will it accept us? It's ridiculous if we say we want war in this situation, but you have to be prepared to defend your peace and yourselves. Death is not to blame here either. If you can't defend yourself, you have to die. The incessant talk about the age of peace, preparation is an excuse for the weak to do nothing. Life is very simple and cruel. Nothing has changed in the world and in human relations. No organism can survive long in a state of anxiety," Karapetyan noted.