Commenting on this incident, most Western media outlets present it as all but an attempt by Azerbaijan to provoke a full-scale war in the South Caucasus.
At the same time, numerous articles and TV pieces portray the handful of Armenian provocateurs in Khankendi as the “legitimate government” of “Artsakh” that remains unrecognized by anyone, somehow failing to mention that the village of Farrukh, just like other settlements in Karabagh, is an internationally recognized territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
What is the real underlying cause of the events that aggravated the situation in the areas of Karabakh temporarily controlled by Russian peacekeepers?
As we know, Azerbaijan has repeatedly and, as it turns out, to no avail, appealed to the command of the Russian peacekeeping forces, demanding committed compliance with Paragraph 4 of the trilateral statement of November 10, 2020, as well as the provisions of the Declaration on Allied Cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation, signed in Moscow on February 22, 2022, which stipulates the parties’ obligations on joint efforts to combat armed separatism.
Nevertheless, not only have the armed scraps of “Artsakh” defeated by the Azerbaijani army not been withdrawn from Azerbaijani territory, as stipulated in the trilateral statement, but, with the acquiescence of the peacekeepers, they continue to form armed military units.
In this regard, it is appropriate to remind some political leaders, who today pick up the old mantra about the “tragic fate of the Armenian people” that after the 44-day war and the signing of the trilateral agreement in Moscow, the Armenian armed groups in the territory of Karabakh never gave up their attempts at revenge, deliberately and purposefully provoking the military personnel of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan.
We are talking here not only about the attempts of the Armenian separatists in Karabakh to build fortifications, trenches, checkpoints, armed posts, etc., which were promptly suppressed by the retaliatory action of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan.
The handful of separatists based in Khankendi, supported by the Armenian leadership, provoke Azerbaijan to retaliate with their impudent and irresponsible actions, such as the attempt to pass the “Law on Occupation” with the assistance of French presidential candidate Valérie Pécresse.
Coupled with the policy of the Armenian leadership, which blatantly interferes in the domestic affairs of Azerbaijan, arms the Armenian population in the territories controlled by the Russian peacekeepers and, with the help of the Armenian diaspora and affiliated international organizations, paints Azerbaijan as the “aggressor”, this creates an extremely tense atmosphere fraught with unpredictable consequences.
Azerbaijan has repeatedly warned the Armenian leadership that its patience is not infinite and provocations by the Armenian separatists supported by cheers of approval from Yerevan will not go unanswered.
It is in this context that one should look at the return of the village of Farrukh under full Azerbaijani control, which, should the Armenian side repeat such provocations, will be consistently extended to other Azerbaijani settlements.
Translated from Haqqin.az
