Armenia warns of the risk of a violent escalation on the border with Azerbaijan

First modification: 03/14/2023 – 21:44

Armenia launched an alert on Tuesday through its Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, who warned of the risk of a new escalation of violence in the territory of Nagorno Karabagh, bordering its neighbor Azerbaijan.

“Azerbaijan’s aggressive rhetoric has been on the rise steadily. It grew before and after the 2020 war, and I think so, the threat of escalation along the Armenian border and in Nagorno-Karabakh is very high now, ”he said at a press conference.

On the border between the two countries, which was never formally delineated after the fall of the Soviet Union (USSR), there are periodic armed confrontations.

In turn, in Nagorno Karabagh, an Armenian territory within the Azeri borders, on December 12, groups of Azerbaijanis who called themselves “environmentalists” blocked the Lachin corridor to date, the only route connecting the territory of Nagorno Karabagh with the Armenian Republic.

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“In view of the crisis in Nagorno Karabagh, the closed Lachin corridor and Baku’s preparation for ethnic cleansing, we consider it necessary to send an (international) mission to collect evidence to Nagorno Karabagh and the Lachin corridor,” asked the Armenian president.

Azerbaijan, for its part, denied the accusations by its neighbors and denounced almost daily violations of the ceasefire established after the 2020 war. In February, the United Nations Supreme Court ordered Azerbaijan to allow the resumption of free movement for the road, but for the moment it is still blocked.

Armenia claims Russia for its lack of support

Among the points agreed for the cessation of hostilities in 2020 was the fact that Russia was the guarantor of peace in the region.

Now focused on the war in Ukraine, Pashinian criticized the relinquishment of functions by Moscow and the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CTOS), which includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

“The CSTO fears that Armenia will withdraw from the organization. I replied that these fears are misplaced, but there are other fears that exist in Armenia and they refer to the fact that the CSTO withdrew from Armenia. And my assessment is that the CSTO is He is withdrawing from Armenia, whether he wants to or not. We are worried about that,” Pashinyan snapped at a Putin who is now more concerned about the war in Ukraine than what happens in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Throughout this time, Moscow has been seeking a balance between maintaining relations with its historical ally and with a friendly country and also a producer of hydrocarbons such as Azerbaijan.

Regarding the peace project carried out between the two countries, the Armenian prime minister acknowledged that there is “some progress, but also fundamental divergences.” According to Pashinián, Azerbaijan rejected the proposal that Yerevan sent them in February.

Germany closes in on Azerbaijan

In the geopolitical game that frames this conflict, Armenia lacks a trump card that is currently very important for Azerbaijan: hydrocarbons, especially gas, which for the European Union is a key green energy in its commitment to the future and the trying to reduce its dependence on Russia.

In this context, the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, received the Azeri President, Ilham Aliyev, on Tuesday.

He European leader affirmed that Azerbaijan is a partner “of increasing importance” and that the alliance with this country can “strengthen energy security” of the continent, since Baku also hopes to increase its production of renewable energies.

This was highlighted by Aliyev, who stressed that 175,000 million gigawatts can be produced in the Caspian Sea from the wind, in addition to the importance of signing “multi-year contracts” to “harmonize” the different energy exports.

However, this alliance with Baku is controversial due to reports of human rights violations in the country.

In this regard, Scholz stated that “We in Germany believe that for a civil society to live, it must be part of democracy and it’s something that benefits everyone, it’s a topic we’ve also talked about.”

Regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Scholz said that it represents a “blatant breach” of International Law. Aliyev did not comment on the matter.

With Reuters, AP and EFE