The Russian military should not gain control of the Kalbajar road

A few days ago, an Azerbaijani convoy carrying construction materials to Kalbajar, accompanied by Russian peacekeepers, was blocked by Armenians in Heyvali (Drambon) village of Aghdara district. In a conversation with the Russian military, they said that the Armenians would open the road "on condition that they would be able to go to Armenia by a shorter route through the territory of Kalbajar district." The video shows that the action was planned in advance with the knowledge of peacekeepers. Such that the fact that several TV stations were filming in the area and that Russian peacekeepers arrived in the area quickly and used the term "Artsakh" in conversation with the protesters increase this possibility. On the other hand, it is clear from the videos that there are more urban-type people from outside than the rural population. It should not be a coincidence that the "roadblock" action was held immediately after the press conference of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Lavrov. In his speech at the press conference, Lavrov ignored the sovereignty of Azerbaijan in the "Lachin corridor" and presented these territories as a "zone of responsibility" of Russia. It should be noted that the November 10 agreement does not contain the term "zone of responsibility", which calls into question our sovereignty. As in 2010, the cunning Lavrov deliberately tries to change the essence and expand Russian-controlled territories in the conflict zone by adding new political terms to the process. His amateurism should be strongly criticized.

Russian peacekeepers have been trying to present more of the territories under their control by periodically updating the map they have published since November 10. This type of map game has been repeated several times. According to the first article of the November 10 agreement, when the military operations stop, "the parties stand where they are." The question then is: how can the map be changed if there are no military operations and no change of position? After the anti-terrorist operation carried out by the State Security Service in Boyuk Taghlar and Chaylaggala villages on December 11 against the provocateurs brought to Karabakh from the Chirac region of Armenia after November 26, the "peacekeepers" changed the map by including those areas in their " zone of responsibility". After strong protests from Azerbaijan, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia returned the map to its previous state. However, after the visit of the President to Shusha, the Ministry of Defense of Russia once again "touched" the map and "took Shusha out of the oval situation and besieged it".

Russia, which has only been the protector of the Armenian population in Karabakh since November 10, is again using them in this process to expand its "scope and zone of responsibility" in the region. It is not difficult to see Russia's plans to seize control of all strategic points in the region. Such that Russia, which set up a post at the Khudavang temple in Kalbajar at the "request" of a terrorist priest when it was not needed, now intends to take control of the strategic Kalbajar road connecting Armenia and Karabakh. If this goal is achieved, Kalbajar may also face the fate of Lachin. This means that the gains of the 44-day war are being lost on the table.

Some of our compatriots, who do not have a deep understanding of the essence of the issue, believe that "for the sake of future coexistence, it is possible to allow the Armenians in Karabakh to go to Armenia from the territory of Kalbajar." But there are points they do not take into account. First of all, our borders with Armenia are not fully controlled. A checkpoint has been set up on the state border between Lachin and Gorus, and the road from Armenia to Karabakh is not controlled because our border guards are unable to perform their duties. As this area and the 5 km wide "Lachin Corridor" are under the control of the Russian military, individuals and terrorists hostile to Azerbaijan can easily enter our territories and threaten our security. On the other hand, since the activities of the Russian peacekeeping mission have caused considerable concern in society, the opening of a second road and giving them control mean cutting our feet with an ax. From this point of view, in the current situation, the opening of the road through Kalbajar cannot be allowed. It should be noted that these claims of the Armenians, directed by Russia, referring to the November 10 agreement, are completely unfounded. Because, according to the November 10 agreement, the Tartar-Kalbajar road passing through Aghdara is a domestic road, and the Aghdara-Basarkechar road is an international road.

The only way for the Armenians to use this road is that Armenia recognizes the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and renounces its territorial claims against it. After that, a peace agreement can be signed between the two countries, and diplomatic relations should be established. After all this, peace and tranquility will be established in the region when border checkpoints will be established in places suitable for Armenia, and Armenians will be able to travel to Armenia using the Kalbajar road along with the Lachin road.