Experts suggest Baku to pursue the same policy that Armenia has been pursuing for 30 years

Baku/14.05.21/Turan: There will not be a new war over the territory around Lake Garagel in the Lachin region because Armenia does not have the opportunity to make a war with Azerbaijan. However, there may be minor clashes, said Milli Mejlis deputy Rasim Musabekov, commenting on the tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the past two years.

Yerevan accuses Azerbaijan of seizing the territory of Armenia at a depth of, according to various estimates, 2-3 km, in the area of ​​Lake Garagel.  The statement by the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry made on May 13 rejected these accusations. Baku declares that it has clarified and strengthened the legal borders of Azerbaijan.

According to Musabekov, Armenia seized seven villages in the Gazakh region of Azerbaijan and a significant territory in Nagorno-Karabakh.

“First let Yerevan and its patrons answer on this matter, give an assessment of the Armenian occupation of the Azerbaijani lands. Armenia should not condemn the actions of Azerbaijan without withdrawing its troops from our territory, Musabekov said.

“As for the settlement of the dispute over Lake Garagel and its environs, the Azerbaijani side is acting within the framework of the trilateral agreement signed on November 9 (10), 2020. There is no need to look for politics behind these events, just our soldiers, in accordance with the agreement, clarify and strengthen our border, while using GPS,” the deputy said.

In his opinion, Armenia cannot accuse us of occupation without recognizing the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. If so, then Azerbaijan is pursuing an appropriate policy.

“Keeping its armed forces on the territory of Azerbaijan, Armenia should not accuse Azerbaijan of occupying its lands,” the MP added.

Azerbaijan did not occupy the territory of Armenia. Let those who are dissatisfied with us familiarize themselves with the issue after taking measurements on the ground, guided by the documents of the Committee for Cartography and Geodesy of the times of the USSR, and modern technical means. Both sides have maps of the USSR, there will be no problems with clarifying the boundaries of the territories, ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs Tofik Zulfugarov told Turan.

The expert does not rule out the possible start of a new war in connection with the creation of tension by Armenia in Karabakh.

“The Armenians suddenly started talking about territorial integrity. They politicize technical issues. Let the Armenians first stop making outrageous statements about our Karabakh, about the Azerbaijani territory inhabited by Armenians. If they do not stop offensive statements, then official Baku should raise the issue of our ancestral lands in Zangezur, and the Azerbaijanis expelled from there in the 90s. Azerbaijan must present territorial claims to Armenia. The issue of the status of Azerbaijanis in Armenia has not been resolved. We must act exactly as the Armenians have been acting for 30 years. We must pursue the same policy,” Zulfugarov said.

As for Pashinyan's appeal to the CSTO, Zulfugarov believes that no one will pay attention to these requests. "Armenia, which retains its army on the territory of Azerbaijan (meaning in Karabakh), cannot demand that we withdraw soldiers from the banks of Garagel," Zulfugarov said. —0—