‘The only winner of Karabakh War is Russia’

* Photos: Anadolu Agency (AA)

Click to read the article in Turkish

Several people have protested in Armenia following the reports that as many as 100 soldiers were seized by Azerbaijani forces in Nagorno-Karabakh. As reported by the BBC, the soldiers were "captured in raid" amid ongoing conflicts since the breakdown of the Russia-brokered truce between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the South Caucasus.

Within this context, we have spoken with Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Diyarbakır MP Garo Paylan about the recent developments in the region. "The problem is this: There is a truce, but the parties do not comply with it. There are still violations. What Azerbaijan has recently done is an operation and there are losses on both sides," says Paylan and adds:

"This war, of course, took place as Russia made way for it and Turkey supported it. Thousands of people have lost their lives, but this war had another aim: To overthrow Nikol Pashinyan's government."

'Pashinyan's leadership is not wanted'

Paylan reminds us that protests have broken out in Armenia following the war and emphasizes the following points:

"There is an immense pressure on Pashinyan to resign. I think that these protests are provoked to remove Pashinyan from power ... There is a will to stop the democratic endeavours of Armenia.

"Pashinyan is a PM who was elected in a democratic election and received 70 percent of votes. In that sense, if he is forced to resign by maintaining war policies, it is done to hinder the development of Armenia's democracy."

'Turkey is on the losing side'

When we ask the MP about the "conditions necessary for a lasting truce," he briefly answers our question as follows:

"I don't think there are conditions for a lasting truce; we need to establish a lasting peace. I don't think Russia wants it. Russia is selling arms to both sides. Moreover, it has now settled in the region with this truce."

Indicating that it has "peacekeeping forces in Karabakh, Azerbaijan and Armenia," Garo Paylan says, "Russia has expanded further in the Caucasus. They are pursuing a policy based on deadlock.

"Turkey became a party to this war; but not only Armenia and Azerbaijan, Turkey has also been on the losing side. Russia is now in the region.

'Peace would reduce Russia's hegemony'

"If, from now on, an action is taken with a peaceful policy proposal, Turkey might play a role in establishing a lasting peace. This can reduce Russia's hegemony in the region.

"Otherwise, just as it settled in Syria as a result of Turkey's wrong policies, it will also do the same in Azerbaijan, Armenia and Karabakh. The only country that can prevent this from happening is Turkey.

"Turkey can help this region only by playing a role in peace.

"The control of Armenian forces in Karabakh has not yet ended. I think that it is not very well known by the public in Turkey."

Concluding his remarks, Paylan says, "The only thing that can secure both the Azerbaijani and Armenian people in Karabakh and ensure the return of Azerbaijani people is establishing a lasting peace."

"Unfortunately, my country is really far from this understanding," he adds.

What happened?

Relations between the two former Soviet republics, Azerbaijan and Azerbaijan, over Upper Karabakh have remained tense since 1991, however, fresh clashes broke out on September 27, 2020.

The conflicts between Azerbaijan and Armenia, two neighboring countries in the South Caucasus, ended after a Russia-brokered agreement on November 10, when President Vladimir Putin announced that Azerbaijan and Armenia had signed a deal to end the conflict in the region.

According to the latest official figures of the countries, Armeni lost 2,996 soldiers and Azerbaijan lost 2,783 soldiers in the conflict. While 150 civilians lost their lives, 100 people are still missing.

(PT/SD)