Stillborn peace and national mobilization: Experts on Aliyev's threats to Armenia"
YEREVAN, January 8. /ARКА/. Armenian political and expert circles have commented on the latest aggressive statements and threats made by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev against Armenia.
Stillborn Peace
Turkologist, PhD in History Varuzhan Geghamyan points out that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has confirmed that, together with Turkey, they do not intend to tolerate the existence of Armenia as a state, let alone live peacefully with it.
"Let’s fix once and for all that the “Peace Program” and “Real Armenia” agendas, promoted by the de facto government of Armenia, are stillborn. The alternative is a state with a strong army, armed and technologically developing, led by the best personnel, and not by those who love scrambled eggs," he said.
Safety First
Vardan Voskanyan, Head of the Department of Iranian Studies at the Faculty of Oriental Studies at Yerevan State University, called the threats made by the leader of the "barbaric regime" in Baku the height of impudence and arrogance.
"All agendas in Armenia should focus on solving one problem: the security of our Homeland, that is, all of us. All cowardly discussions should be put aside: security, security, and once again security," he emphasized.
Consolidation and Mobilization
The statements made by the President of Azerbaijan signal the implementation of a plan to resolve the political conflict through military action, specifically an invasion of Armenian territory, with a clear intention to fulfill the threat of complete destruction of the Armenian nation, said David Ananyan, former head of Armenia's State Revenue Committee.
"In cases where the monarch of a country that won a war does not want peace, but instead seeks to destroy the people of the defeated country and occupy this state, declaring it a “fascist state”, the primary task is to unite and mobilize domestic society, the people, and the international community to prevent the planned aggression against our country," he wrote.
Ananyan emphasizes that to create a united front against the external threat, there is a need to make urgent and strong-willed decisions, implement clear steps, and most importantly, form a government of national unity capable of making such decisions and carrying out those steps.
As specific steps to effectively counter aggression and preserve national existence and sovereignty, the former official named the declaration of a state of emergency and mobilization with nationwide military exercises, internal consolidation of society, immediate diplomatic measures to mobilize the international community, and a rethinking of ties with allied states to secure guaranteed assistance.
Armenia's Ruling Party Under Aliyev's Dictate
Armenia's ruling elite has placed the country in unilateral dependence on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, said Arman Tatoyan, head of the Tatoyan Center for Law and Justice and former Ombudsman of Armenia.
"The country is facing existential threats, and the Civil Contract (ruling party - ed.) has only assisted Azerbaijan in this matter – advancing its expansionist ambitions," said Tatoyan.
The former Ombudsman is convinced that the ruling elite, instead of governing the country, is engaged in propaganda to maintain power, but their presence in power contradicts the rights of the people and the interests of the state.
"It is precisely because of the priority of maintaining power that they are zealously destroying our statehood and weakening the resistance of our people. […] As a result, authoritarian rule is taking root in the country, destroying the state. […] We must free ourselves from the captivity of the Civil Contract propaganda in order to be able to resist the growing threats to Armenia," Tatoyan concluded.
About Aliyev's Statements
On January 7, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev made several statements about Armenia in an interview with local media. In particular, he announced that a meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani commissions on border demarcation issues would take place by the end of January, mentioned that the so-called "Zangezur Corridor" would be opened, and also called Armenia a "fascist state," saying "this fascism will be destroyed either by the Armenian leadership or by us."
He also stated that Azerbaijan wants peace and cooperation in the South Caucasus, and "Armenia should not interfere with us, should not be a geopolitical barrier between Turkey and Azerbaijan." Aliyev demanded that Armenia immediately cease arming itself and return the weapons already delivered to the country. He also declared that a peace treaty was impossible without the abolition of the OSCE Minsk Group and changes to Armenia’s constitution.
Pashinyan's Response
Commenting on Aliyev's statements, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan noted that Baku might be trying to "legitimize" the escalation in the region, emphasizing that Armenia will not follow this path but will adhere to a peaceful strategy and consistently continue to implement the peace agenda.
Regarding the statements calling Armenia a fascist state, Pashinyan pointed out that, first, they are aiming for a response along the lines of "you yourself are a fascist," and second, this is how Azerbaijan perceives Armenia, "and we will try to understand why, what the reason is."
Regarding the so-called "Zangezur Corridor," Pashinyan stated that Armenia had proposed the "Crossroads of Peace" project and is preparing to implement it, with no other project on the agenda. At the same time, the Prime Minister reiterated that Armenia does not aim to return more than 200 square kilometers of Azerbaijani-occupied territory by military means. In response to concerns about arms purchases, Baku was offered to form a mutual arms control mechanism.
Pashinyan also confirmed that the next meeting of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border demarcation commissions will be held in January.
