“The Joint Declaration signed between Azerbaijan and Armenia in Washington on August 8 and the initialing of the peace agreement have marked the beginning of a new geopolitical phase in the South Caucasus. By taking control of the Zangezur corridor — the TRIP route — the US gains the opportunity to control the main strategic line of the Middle corridor connecting the West and the East.” Political commentator Mahammad Asadullazade said this in an interview with Medianews.az.
He stated that the main threat to peace and security in the region is still Russia's 102nd military base located in Armenia, as well as the Russian Federal Border Guards protecting the Iran-Armenia border in the Zangezur direction. The main goal of the South Caucasus strategy of the US, Turkey, and the United Kingdom is the removal of this military contingent from Armenia. To this end, Washington supports strengthening the political position of Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
The Prime Minister of Armenia is already preparing for the next parliamentary elections and is building his election campaign on the slogan “Armenia without Karabakh.” This is a serious blow to the Armenian opposition, as well as an official collapse of the infamous “Miatsum” ideology and an important blow to Russia’s 200-year-old “Karabakh card.” By putting forward the “Real Armenia” concept, Pashinyan is effectively abandoning the idea of “historic Armenia.”
If Pashinyan wins the elections, his next step will be the removal of Russian border guards from the borders with Turkey and Iran. It is also not excluded that he will later raise the issue of closing the 102nd military base located in Gyumri.
The Russian leadership anticipates these steps Pashinyan will take after the elections in advance. Therefore, Moscow is planning to overthrow Pashinyan using the church, army, and opposition forces in Armenia. In turn, Pashinyan has gone on the offensive against these pressures and is trying to weaken Russia’s political influence mechanisms.”
Togrul Ali,
Medianews.az
