The start date of the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia was September 27, 2020. It took 44 days and ended in a way that Armenia did not expect at all. After that, the leaders of the two countries came together on various platforms. They talked and gave pictures. After Azerbaijan liberated its lands that had been under occupation for 30 years, it started very fast transportation and infrastructure investments there. Thus, the attempt to once again strive for normalization between Turkey and Armenia came to the fore. Despite many difficulties, it was brought to a point. Although there were occasional frictions and attempts at provocation, there were also incentives to move forward.
So what happened all of a sudden? Did Armenia try to rematch its defeat? Where does his courage come from? What does it mean? I discussed these questions with Reşad Mammadov, Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Turkey.
The Ambassador first reminded the conditions of the Tripartite Declaration signed between Turkey, Azerbaijan and Russia on 10 November 2020 and said:
“The declaration includes important provisions such as the illegal Armenian armed units leaving Karabakh, the construction of the Zangezur corridor connecting Nakhchivan with other lands of Azerbaijan, and the return of displaced persons to their homes. The return of Kelbajar, Lachin and Agdam regions to Azerbaijan was also foreseen in the declaration. As an example of humanism, Azerbaijan even gave extra time for Armenians brought from Libya, Syria, Lebanon and other countries to leave these lands. On the other hand, when the Armenians left, they burned down the Azerbaijani houses and laid mines everywhere. Today, despite all Azerbaijan’s demands, Armenia avoids giving mine maps to Azerbaijan, violating the basic principles of international humanitarian law.
‘Mines produced in Armenia in 2021’
Almost two years have passed since the victory. With the encouragement of some countries that continue to support Armenia by ignoring all its violations, Armenia is attempting to attack again. Despite the establishment of a commission to determine the borders between the two countries, Armenia tries to prevent the demarcation of borders with various excuses. Every day we are faced with a different provocation. Taking advantage of the mountainous and forested nature of the region, they cross into Azerbaijani soil in small groups and lay mines. The fact that these mines are produced in Armenia in 2021 is a statement that Armenia does not intend to give up its policy of invasion despite its defeat. This is how their last provocation took place, and as our President of Azerbaijan said, he severely punished them with an iron fist.”
Ambassador Mammadov stated that Armenia does not have a predictable policy and stressed that it refrains from fulfilling its responsibilities within the framework of both the tripartite declaration and the Brussels negotiations. Mammadov continued his words as follows:
“The Armenian government, trying to avoid responsibilities such as removing illegal armed groups from Karabakh, determining the borders and opening the Zangezur corridor, is trying to deceive the Armenian people with false hopes and to prevent the integration of the Armenian population living in Karabakh into Azerbaijani society. Armenia, which attempts to invade our land with the provocation of foreign powers, should not forget that no provocation it has done will go unpunished. Azerbaijan will not gift its land to anyone. Our goal is to bring peace to the region, to ensure the safety of the population living here, and to build the corridor that will unite Europe and Asia.”
.