In an interview with the Turkish publication Diriliş Postası, Güçlüer, citing sources in the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reported that the Russians will leave Karabakh.
“Currently, the Russians are in these territories (in Karabakh), but according to the information received in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they will leave next year. There is nothing left for the peacekeepers to do there,” the expert emphasized.
As known, Russian officials state that the future of the peacekeeping contingent in Karabakh will be agreed upon during bilateral negotiations with Azerbaijan.
However, the Turkish expert believes that there is still a risk of a new war in the region, as Armenia has “very insidious intentions.”
“Armenia is arming, delaying the delimitation of borders. The USA, France, India, and to some extent Iran and Russia supply weapons to Armenia. The reason is that the border has not been defined, the terms of the peace treaty have not been agreed upon, and the Zangezur Corridor is still not open.
There are some dangers that under the pretext of undefined borders, Armenia may attack Azerbaijan again in the future, create an autonomous region in Karabakh, and thus re-escalate the Karabakh issue,” said the head of ASAM.
According to him, if Armenia attempts to attack Azerbaijan, a conventional war will flare up in the region, and in accordance with the Shusha Declaration (a declaration of allied relations signed between Azerbaijan and Turkey on June 15, 2021, in the city of Shusha – ed.) Turkey’s participation in this war will gain legitimacy.
Considering this, Güçlüer believes that Armenia will not take such great risks. At the same time, the Turkish expert noted that the arms supplies to Armenia cause serious concern, as they may become a “provoking factor for the possible resumption of armed conflict.”
He stressed that under normal circumstances, Armenia should not make such mistakes, but under the influence of the Armenian diaspora, it may “take radical actions.”
Güçlüer added that Turkey is already prepared for such scenarios and “Armenia may lose territories if it ever decides to commit such folly.”
