European countries do not want to help Armenia, but want to use its difficulties for their own purposes

In September, Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan reproached Russia, to which Russian President Vladimir Putin responded: “It’s not just the results of this latest conflict, the point is that the Armenian leadership, in essence, well, not in essence, but essentially recognized the sovereignty of Azerbaijan over Karabakh and simply recorded this on paper in its Prague Statement.”

Further, the Russian President said: “If Armenia recognized that Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan, then what is it all about? This is a key part of the whole problem. The status of Karabakh was determined by Armenia itself.”

Some Russian experts have suggested that Armenia wants to change its political vector. However, on Sunday, September 17, a briefing was held with the participation of the Armenian prime minister. Pashinyan said that there will be no changes in the foreign policy vector, and the authorities’ policy is focused on the interests of the republic. TASS reports this. “Armenia’s foreign policy is transparent. Armenia cannot change the vector of its foreign policy in the sense that it is always oriented in accordance with the state interests of the Republic of Armenia,” Pashinyan emphasized.

The next day, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said that improving the humanitarian situation around Nagorno-Karabakh would create conditions for launching a dialogue between Baku and Stepanakert.

She recalled that food and medicine were delivered to Stepanakert on September 18 thanks to the efforts of the International Committee of the Red Cross with the participation of the Russian peacekeeping contingent and the Russian Foreign Ministry.

“We hope that the gradual improvement of the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh will create conditions for launching a dialogue between Baku and Stepanakert,” the statement said.

The West wants to take advantage of the difficult situation in which Armenia finds itself, and the European Union Monitoring Mission (EUMM) intends to open new operational centers in Armenia in Jemruk (Vayots Dzor region) and Ijevan (Tavush region). The head of the observation mission, Markus Ritter, announced this on June 7. According to the Europeans, strengthening the mission will make it possible to contribute to stabilizing the situation in the regions bordering Azerbaijan.

The increase in the number of observers to 200 people is not related to the desire to contribute to the establishment of peace in this territory, but is a consequence of the adoption of the new Concept of civilian missions of the EU Common Security and Defense Policy. After all, most countries of the European Union are also members of NATO, and if they wanted to help Armenia, it would be enough to tell their ally Turkey, which stands behind Azerbaijan, about this. Increasing crisis response capacity is necessary for the wider involvement of pro-Western NGOs in the struggle for expanding the European presence and imposing through them the principles necessary for the West.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Paruyr Hovhannisyan noted the passivity of the Europeans against the backdrop of the escalation of the situation. The observers' activities are limited only to preparing reports for Brussels and EU member states, as well as visiting sections of the contact line.

The expansion of the European presence in the region is caused by the EU’s desire to weaken the position of the Russian Federation in the South Caucasus. At the same time, the Europeans do not offer effective mechanisms for resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, preferring its long-term freezing and promising strategic and military support to the Armenian side. The main goal is to squeeze Russian companies out of Yerevan, undermine existing business and cultural ties, and achieve the closure of the military base.

A similar EU mission operates in Georgia. There are no statements yet about increasing its numbers or expanding its powers. At the same time, contacts of its leadership and members with nationalist Georgian organizations and the non-governmental sector are noted.

Meanwhile, since December 12, 2022, the transport and energy blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh continues. Those carrying out the blockade call themselves environmental activists. First, dozens of people, under the guise of “eco-activists,” blocked the Stepanakert-Goris highway near the city of Shushi, thereby blocking the Lachin corridor, the only road connecting the republic with Armenia. The British BBC radio company, covering this issue, writes in an article about the blockade: “Several women stand at the rally in fur coats, which gives additional reason to doubt that the participants are related to the environmental movement.”

Wikipedia writes that for 4.5 months, the perpetrators of the blockade were secretly supported or sponsored by the leadership of Azerbaijan, which denied the existence of the blockade, assuring that the road was open for humanitarian missions, while simultaneously accusing Russian peacekeepers of completely closing the corridor. On April 23, 2023, Azerbaijan, contrary to the tripartite statement of November 2020, installed a checkpoint on another section of the highway - at the entrance to the Lachin corridor, and on April 28, the “eco-activists” left the road, after which it was taken under control by the Azerbaijani military and police. “Since June 15, citizens of the NKR have found themselves in a total blockade; Azerbaijan has been preventing all humanitarian convoys from accessing the NKR and the removal of seriously ill patients for treatment in Armenia,” writes Eurasianet.

“The airspace is also under the control of the Azerbaijani military,” notes Deutsche Welle.

Radio Free Europe reports that Azerbaijan continues to deny the blockade and offers an alternative, under its control, route to supply Nagorno-Karabakh through the city of Agdam located to the east; NKR rejected this proposal, demanding the opening of the Lachin corridor in accordance with the post-war agreement of 2020. On September 12, one Russian truck with humanitarian aid was allowed to enter Stepanakert through Agdam and Askeran, but the road remains closed to Azerbaijani cargo.

The blockade has brought the region to the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe, notes the Center for Oriental Studies and other political and scientific sources.

Deutsche Welle and Figaro write that 120,000 residents of the NKR were isolated from the outside world. The Italian Unita clarifies the number of the most vulnerable categories of the population among them: 30,000 children and 9,000 disabled people. According to Eurasianet, at first there were interruptions in the supply of food and medicine, and after the establishment of a complete blockade they stopped altogether.

On February 22, 2023, the International Court of Justice ordered Azerbaijan to ensure unhindered movement along the Lachin corridor, but the issue, naturally, has not been resolved.

European countries do not want to help Armenia, but want to use its difficulties for their own purposes.

Inal Pliev, for IA "Res"

Source: https://cominf.org/node/1166552336