Aggressive policy deprives Armenia of economic growth

The ongoing occupation by Armenia of the internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan limits the development of large-scale regional cooperation, as well as the sustainable development of the region as a whole, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said on September 19.

Armenian government escalates the situation with its unprofessional actions, Evgeny Mikhailov, Russian political analyst and expert on international issues, told Azernews on September 18.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s recent statements in Moscow that Nagorno-Karabakh should become part of Armenia in the future, are populist and groundless, and aren’t based on modern political reality, the expert said.

“Moreover, I think that such statements are absolutely provocative against the backdrop of Moscow’s titanic efforts to resolve the Armenia-Azerbaijan NagornoKarabakh conflict peacefully,” he noted.

The expert mentioned that by making such statements, Pashinyan intends to please the forces of the Armenian establishment who call for war with Azerbaijan, and this is his big mistake considering that he wants to continue the strategic alliance with Russia.

Regardless of the political changes in Armenia and the absolutely non-constructive behavior of its current leadership on the settlement of the conflict, its resolution is first of all important for Russia, which is the main guarantor of peace and security in the region, the expert noted.

Speaking of Pashinyan’s ability to realize the true situation in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, Mikhailov said that Pashinyan is unlikely to be a better negotiator for Baku.

“The current government of Armenia only escalates the situation with its unprofessional actions, then tries to immediately establish a dialogue with Moscow, noting the centuries-old friendship, but I think Armenia is only playing its own game,” the expert noted.

It is also necessary to take into account the partnership between Moscow and Baku in many areas, which is an important factor for the peaceful resolution of the conflict in the near future, he said.

Armenia broke out a lengthy war against Azerbaijan by laying territorial claims on the country. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

To this day, Armenia has not implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the NagornoKarabakh and surrounding regions.