Azerbaijan announced the start of an “anti-terrorist operation” in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Armenians of Karabakh can only defend themselves. Russia, perhaps, if the Azerbaijani “blitzkrieg” fails.

Photo: Youtube

Armenia “condemned” Azerbaijan’s “aggression” in Karabakh

September 19, Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan reported that “anti-terrorism measures of a local nature have been launched to restore the constitutional order of the Republic of Azerbaijan.”

The department informed the command of the peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation and the leadership of the Joint Turkish-Russian Monitoring Center about the ongoing “events,” the statement said. The Russian side claims that this was done literally minutes before the start of the operation.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry in its statement “condemned” “Azerbaijan’s aggression against Nagorno-Karabakh” and reported that the city of Stepanakert and other cities and villages in the region are being shelled by Azerbaijan “under the empty pretext of destroying military facilities.”

The goal of the escalation is to subjugate the population of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Armenian Foreign Ministry believes. He also called on Russian peacekeepers and the UN Security Council to take measures to stop the “aggression of Azerbaijan.”

Russia’s hands are tied by Pashinyan’s position

However, what kind of aggression are we talking about if the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan repeatedly stated that he considers Nagorno-Karabakh part of Azerbaijan, and made it clear that he is ready to regulate relations between the two countries on this basis. Russia had a position to compete for the special status of Karabakh, but Pashinyan thwarted these efforts.

“The point is not only the results of the last conflict, the point is that the Armenian leadership essentially recognized the sovereignty of Azerbaijan over Karabakh. And in its Prague statement it simply recorded this on paper,” the Russian President said Vladimir Putin at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), explaining Moscow’s position.

Putin explained what claims Azerbaijan now has against the Russian Federation.

“And if so, they tell us (in Baku), then now you, if you want to do something about Karabakh, must resolve them with us on a bilateral basis. Well, what should we say? There’s nothing to say here. If Armenia itself recognized, that Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan,” Putin noted.

The West will not go against Baku

Therefore, only the Karabakh people themselves can help Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia has already distanced itself from the new conflict. They stated that “there are no units of the Armenian regular army in Nagorno-Karabakh and that the situation on the borders of Armenia is calm.”

The West will also not respond with sanctions if the operation does not go beyond the boundaries of the unrecognized republic.

Azerbaijan’s military operations against Nagorno-Karabakh must cease immediately, wrote the President of the European Council Charles Michel on social networks.

“Today we receive terrible news from the former Nagorno-Karabakh region. Azerbaijan’s military actions must immediately cease so that real dialogue between Baku and Karabakh Armenians can become possible,” Michel wrote.

That is, the “territorial integrity of Azerbaijan” is recognized. In addition, Azerbaijan helps the EU to replace Russian energy resources, what kind of help is there for Armenia? Will the Americans help her? They will not help in any way; the ongoing military exercises with Armenia are again against the Russian Federation, not Azerbaijan.

Russian peacekeepers may become hostages of the situation

The question remains about how Russian peacekeepers will behave. They may be drawn into hostilities if Baku fails to achieve a victorious “blitzkrieg” to capture Stepanakert. Then Russia will have to react, especially if the peacekeepers get caught in the crossfire.

In other words, the next few hours or days will determine the further development of the situation.

Read on topic:

Orientalist: the course of the North Military District will affect the fate of Nagorno-Karabakh

The Armenian elite betrays Russia in Artsakh

Pashinyan’s inevitable mistake: Tragic times await Armenia