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Fatima Latifova

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It is an undeniable fact that Armenia has been a tool of Western patrons in the South Caucasus for many years. And it is no coincidence that the Armenian authorities constantly make sudden and illogical decisions, and state officials try to come up with baseless speeches.

Nowadays, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan makes many attempts to distance itself from Russia and has opted for disintegrating his government from the pro-Russian alliance. Realising that he had provoked anger with his harsh speeches and moves, the Armenian PM used a different strategy by sweetening his tongue. He subtly asks the Russian troops in Armenia to leave the country more gently.

At his press conference, he thanked the Russian soldiers and said that the Armenian army already has enough experience and that there is no longer a need for Russia's military base in the country.

We should not forget that since September 1992, Armenia has entrusted the protection of 345 km of its borders with Turkiye and 45 km with Iran to the border management of the Russian Federal Security Service.

Besides, the 102nd Russian military base established in Armenia in 1995 is of great importance in the relations between the two countries. In 2010, the term of the base's location on the territory of Armenia was extended until 2044. To this day, that base is considered an important element, enabling Armenia's territory to be under Moscow's control.

Currently, Russia also uses border detachments located in Gyumri, Armavir, Artashat, and Megri for these purposes. At the same time, the departure point of the "Zvartnots" international airport and the "Agarak" departure point on the highway on the border with Iran are also under Russian control. In total, about 5,000 Russian soldiers protect Armenia's borders.

It seems that Nikol Pashinyan has decided to break this long-term contract immediately and is using every opportunity to get what he wants.
Armenia's desire to leave the CSTO also indicates that he wants to cut ties with Russia and become a part of the West.

However, we should not forget that Armenia tried to create a so-called state for itself on the Azerbaijani lands by relying on, especially, Russia.

It is interesting that the Pashinyan's government, which thinks that it no longer needs Russia and its army has enough experience, was unable to withstand the blow of the Azerbaijani Army back in 2020 and quit the territories once under its occupation.

It is clear that Armenia is carrying out the task of its patrons in the West when it comes to its decision to dismember itself with the CSTO. However, Pashinyan's acts are considered ridiculous and illogical given the real situation among other CSTO members.

The CSTO Secretary General - Tasmagambetov Imangali Nurgalievich, urges Armenian authorities to show political sobriety on this issue. In an interview with TASS, he emphasised that the logical thing for Armenia at the moment is to remain within the CSTO. However, Armenia, immersed in the sweet promises of the West, seems to be quite unchanged in its decision. This makes it a dangerous side, even in the South Caucasus. Especially in the matter of peace negotiations with Azerbaijan, Yerevan is starting to lose its credibility completely.

It's no secret that since 2020, Pashinyan's government has been deliberately slowing down the peace process. Realising that Armenia is not strong enough to face Azerbaijan on the battlefield, Pashinyan's government resorts to provocations every time by faking an excuse.

For example, the news that has been circulating in the Armenian media for the past few days is especially related to the Armenians who left Garabagh in 2023 on their own volition. In fact, Armenia tried to repeat its policy of ethnic cleansing against Azerbaijanis in Garabagh in the 1990s in the name of Azerbaijan. However, on September 19, 23-hour anti-terrorist measures were carried out at such a professional level, so Armenia's aspirations were completely wasted. Even the UN organisations, which Armenia often turns to for unnecessary reasons, stated in their official reports that no civilians were harmed in Garabagh.

At the same time, Armenia's claims did not end - the voluntary departure of Armenians who did not want to stay in Karabakh because of their crimes became a separate excuse for Armenia. However, most of those who appeared in Karabakh knew that after the war, they would be prosecuted by Azerbaijan for illegal armed support to separatist groups - of course, this does not apply to everyone. Armenia put forward the claim of ethnic cleansing by giving it a new name before some pro-Armenian international organisations.

Let's recall that until September 19, the Azerbaijani government had repeatedly stated that Armenians who were born and lived in Garabagh could live in this region by obtaining Azerbaijani citizenship.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan officially guaranteed that Armenians who have received citizenship will not be distinguished from ethnic groups living in Lankaran, Baku, Ganja, Gusar, and other regions of Azerbaijan, and their rights will be protected.

However, apparently, Armenia did not agree with this. While Azerbaijan was sending food to the Armenians in Garabagh, a group of separatists in Asgaran chanted, "we will not eat the Turk's bread" and rebelled.

The 100,000 Armenians mentioned by Nikol Pashinyan were even less than some 20,000 as counted at the state border control in Lachin, and in a few days they left the territories of Azerbaijan and went to Yerevan. It is good that not a single civilian was harmed in Garabagh during the anti-terror measures. Otherwise, Yerevan would have blamed Azerbaijan for the fact that 80% of Armenians have been eliminated and would have shed tears in front of the International Court of Justice, saying, "Where are our eighty thousand Armenians?"

It should be noted that, unlike them, Azerbaijan promised and kept its promise that no Armenian would be harmed. However, Armenia should always remember that 32 years ago, they gave Azerbaijanis a corridor to leave Garabagh and killed them in the forest. This is our difference with them.

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