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Qabil Ashirov

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Armenian media outlets and pro-Armenian media in some foreign countries are circulating news about a shortage of dram banknotes, which are the Armenian currency, in and around Khankendi under the control of the separatist regime. The so-called finance and economy minister of separatists urged people not to withdraw banknotes from banks unless necessary. Armenian media and separatists associate the shortage of banknotes with a fictitious blockade.

As is known, more reserves of national currency are kept in the central bank all over the world than needed. Also, payments are made in non-cash form all over the world. Also, prices in the territories under the control of separatist-controlled areas are set by the central group. This means that inflation is actually kept under control.

Speaking to AZERNEWS on the issue, economist and political analyst Natig Jafarly said that in fact, the use of Armenian drama over the so-called lack of Armenian dram in and around Khankendi is a gross violation of Azerbaijani legislation. He pointed out that this crisis can be created deliberately by the Armenian government.

“It is necessary to look at this issue a little wider. The Armenian state and the Pashinyan government are tired of being the sponsors of Garabagh. This year, the Armenian state allocated nearly $295m to the so-called regime overall in Garabagh. Pashinyan's team cannot control these funds. It is not only about whether Lachin Road is closed or not. Because banknotes are not such bulky goods and products that make it impossible to bring. Therefore, the Central Bank and the government of Armenia are also interested in creating this density, more precisely, the shortage of banknotes. Maybe they have their own interests. First and furthermore, they can turn it into a PR company to announce the emergence of a new crisis to the world, and secondly, they want to slowly withdraw from the sponsorship of that separatist regime, and if the reintegration process is going to happen, of course, the Azerbaijani manat should work in those regions,” he said.

He also noted that the Armenian dram is not the only banknote in Garabagh. The Russian ruble is also in circulation. He underscored that it is a violation of Azerbaijani law, as well.

“There is also another problem here. Since the Russian peacekeepers were temporarily stationed in the region, we see that Russian rubles are in circulation in cafes and markets in and around Khankendi.The salaries of the Russian peacekeepers temporarily stationed there are paid in rubles, and the salaries paid in rubles are spent by the Russian peacekeepers there. In other words, in parallel with the Armenian drama, the circulation of the ruble was also created. Again, this is a gross violation of the legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well,” Jafarly said.

He also touched on non-cash payments in Khankendi and said that the infrastructure of the Azerbaijani Central Bank and Azerbaijani banks must be developed in Khankendi. Because it is important for reintegration.

“As for non-cash payments, in fact, this kind of payments in and around Khankendi through Armenian banks are illegal. This is the territory of Azerbaijan, and the infrastructure of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan and Azerbaijani banks should be built here. Because the integration of the financial system is an extremely important element for the reintegration of that region into Azerbaijan. That is, money transfer systems of Azerbaijani banks should be established there, online payments should be made using Azerbaijani bank cards, and ATMs should be installed. The pension issue of elderly Azerbaijani citizens of Armenian origin living there should be resolved and finally, salaries should be paid in Azerbaijani manat. That is, all this is a part of reintegration."

In addition, the economist approached the issue from several aspects while talking about the current situation. He noted that as the current conditions continue like this, the matter becomes much more serious: "First, as I told before, the state to conduct a PR campaign as if there is a shortage of banknotes, which becomes a factor that aggravates the humanitarian situation. Secondly, the state of Armenia is also concerned about the fact that the separatist regime living in Khankendi and its surroundings is not fully under the control of the state of Armenia and listens more to the words of the clan formed by Sargsyan and Kocharian. While the separatist regime is more under their control than Pashinyan, the clan tries to squeeze them to a certain extent by means of financial instruments and to fulfill its agenda in Khankendi. Despite the fact that the regime opposes Pashinyan's rules, I think that Armenian government may also be interested here,” he added.

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Qabil Ashirov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @g_Ashirov

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