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Rena Murshud

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The scandal in the Armenian parliament was memorable with many interesting moments. The topic discussed in the agenda was the reasons for Armenia's great defeat in the Second Karabakh War in 2020. It seems that Armenia has started to feel the pain of the defeat now. When some forces tried to accuse Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as the cause, the Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Alen Simonyan considered it inappropriate. Even Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that he would reveal sensational details at a meeting of the commission investigating the 44-day war.

Such a statement by Pashinyan was not unambiguously accepted by the opposition and politicians, and there was even an accusation against the prime minister.

According to the Armenian Speaker, by speaking live the Prime Minister is trying to shift the responsibility for the lost war from himself to the opposition.

Alen Simonyan believes that Pashinyan's live performance is not a manifestation of an unequal attitude towards politicians. To date, no one has expressed a desire to speak live at the commission, as many have tried to avoid it.

According to him, "some people are waiting for unexpected and interesting details. The Prime Minister will present everything in detail."

The opposition had the opportunity to ask the prime minister live questions on all the accusations voiced in recent years, but they did not take advantage of this opportunity.

What is the reason for such a statement by the Prime Minister of Armenia, whose domestic policy is split in two different groups?

In fact, Pashinyan's statement can be partially clarified if we look at some of the events that happened in the Armenian army until the end of 2020.

Recall that the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, in one of his speeches, stated that the Armenian army destroyed in the 44-day war was not only the army of Pashinyan, but also the army of Sargsyan and Kocheryan (the old Karabakh clan). After Levon Ter-Petrosyan, the “Karabakh clan” destroyed its army as a result of corruption. With reference to Armenian sources, it is reported that the head of the Armenian army in Karabakh kept some of the weapons in a special warehouse and sold them to foreign terrorist groups. But during the war, he blew up the warehouse because he was afraid that the weapons would be seized. Also, news leaked from the Armenian media about the destruction of the arms factory created by General "Tushonka" and Terpetrosyan, which sold military food of the Armenian army on the grocery.

Thus, some of the mentioned facts indicate that the number one causes of Armenia's defeat were the opposition forces and internal corruption.

"Most likely, Nikol Pashinyan will not say anything new, except for some details that should not significantly change the general understanding of the causes and development of the conflict, as well as its settlement process."

Ukrainian political expert Vitaliy Yarmolenko told this Azernews while commenting on Pashinyan's speech.

The expert added that Pashinyan will not give a new opinion in his statement about the cause and development of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Because if Pashinyan touched on this issue, it could lead to further growth of the existing conflict. The main goal of the Armenian prime minister is to clarify the reasons for the bitter defeat in the war and the reluctantly signed capitulation document. In short, the Armenian authorities are blaming the former opposition political elites, known as the Karabakh Clan, for the course of all these events.

"Most likely, this is pressure on Pashinyan, who has recently been pursuing a less pro-Russian course in foreign policy. Even opening the Zangazur corridor, which in the interest of Russia, is a pretext to reduce the rating of the current government," Yarmolenko added.

Everyone knows that the opening of the Zangazur corridor is economically beneficial for neighboring regions, especially for Russia.But all the same, some politicians and opposition in Armenia persistently stand their ground and lead the opposite way. Do they have more important factors than the development of their country?; the expert said that there are fears on the Armenian side about the possible pressures from Azerbaijan, of course, in some necessary cases. Besides, Yerevan fears that Baku will try to take transport communications and adjacent territories under physical control.

İn conclusion, the expert stressed that there is no way out for Armenia other than to normalize relations with Azerbaijan and its closest partners. This kind of step can even be a tool that can pave the way for Armenia's economic development and becoming an independent state.

"Pashinyan most likely understands that in the current geopolitical conditions, when Russia is strategically weakened through a war with Ukraine, it is in Armenia’s interest to seek a peace agreement with Azerbaijan and normalize relations with Turkiye and the West," the expert added.

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Rena Murshud is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @RenaTagiyeva

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