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Yerevan (AFP)
On Wednesday, Armenia ruled out any “diplomatic solution” to the conflict in Nagorno Karabakh with Azerbaijan, thus undermining existing international efforts to negotiate a long armistice.
While the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers were holding separate talks in Moscow, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressed the Armenians with a video on Facebook. The two ministers are expected to head to Washington this week.
“We have to recognize that there is no diplomatic solution to the Karabakh case, now and for a long time,” he said, after four weeks of battles that resulted in about 1,000 people, according to an infinite number.
“Everything we see is acceptable from us, it is unacceptable for Azerbaijan. This shows that it makes no sense, at least for now, to talk about a diplomatic solution,” he added.
He also called on all “cities, districts, towns, political parties, civil and commercial organizations to organize volunteer units” to fight alongside the separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh against Azerbaijan.
For their part, the Azerbaijani authorities have not expressed a greater inclination for dialogue since the start of hostilities on September 27, and President Ilham Aliyev, who was encouraged by victories on the ground, had previously described his opponents as “dogs” or “wild animals”, stating that any negotiation must precede them. The separatists withdraw.
– ‘Victory or defeat’ –
In recent weeks, Azerbaijani forces seized lands outside Baku’s control since the 1990s and the war that erupted after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, killing at least 30,000 people and leading to the declaration of Karabakh secession. , which is inhabited by the majority of Armenians.
President Aliyev’s adviser, Hikmat Hajiyev, commented on the Armenian prime minister’s remarks, denouncing a speech that “fuels the escalation again.”
Regarding existing diplomatic efforts, he said in a conference call he held with journalists: “We do not expect any progress, especially in light of the invitation from the Armenian prime minister.”
Pashinyan described the situation of the separatists at the front as “very dangerous”. “Victory or defeat, and nothing else. To achieve victory, we must form voluntary units,” he added.
He believed that Azerbaijan was putting its “last resources” in the battle, noting that Baku lost 10,000 troops in these battles, at a time when Baku did not publish results on its losses.
Pashinyan’s comments came after the successive failure of two humanitarian truces in October.
– Civilians killed –
Russia, the United States and France are the historical mediators in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. But all diplomatic efforts since the 1990s have failed to find a mutually acceptable solution.
Azerbaijan believes that any solution must include the return of the separate region, provided it is granted a certain degree of independence.
As for Pashinyan, he calls for the independence of Nagorno Karabakh and threatens to recognize it unilaterally.
Since September 27, the international community has repeatedly called for a cessation of hostilities, condemning the attacks against civilians, similar to what happened on Saturday in Ganja, Azerbaijan, where the attacks killed 13 people.
In addition to the fear of a humanitarian crisis, the international community fears that the conflict will internationalize. While Ankara supports Baku, Armenia, which provides material and military support to the separatists, is linked to a military alliance with Russia.
Azerbaijan, which enjoys significant oil revenues, has signed several arms contracts in recent years with Russia, Turkey and Israel. Ankara also faces charges of sending Syrian fighters back to participate in the ongoing conflict.
© 2020 AFP
