Armenia Says Azerbaijan Is Planning A "Full-Scale War" (image@NikolPashniyan)
Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan said Azerbaijan is planning a “full-scale war” on Armenia. The announcement came tow days after a skirmish on the border left four Armenian troops dead. Tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia spiked high after the former captured the populated region of Nagorno Karabakh of Armenia in last September.
The Armenian Prime Minister said that the country’s analysis indicates that Azerbaijan wants to launch military actions in parts of the border, with the intention of turning the military escalation into a full-scale war against Armenia. He said Azerbaijan’s message was clear from all of its statements and actions.
Armenia is concerned that Baku, which emboldened after victory in Karabakh, could invade Yerevan territory in order to create a land bridge to its exclave of Nakhchivan. On the other hand, the Azerbaijan President, Ilhan Aliyev said it was Armenia and not Azerbaijan that had outstanding territorial claims.
Aliyev, who won the re-election this month said during his inauguration speech that Azerbaijan do not have any territorial claim over Armenia and Yerevan should give up their claim. He said, “talking to us in the language of blackmail will cost them dearly”.
Leaders of the two countries earlier said that a peace agreement could have been signed by the end of last year. however, internationally mediated peace talks have failed to yield a breakthrough. Earlier this week, both countries accused each other of opening fire on their volatile border.
The current stand-off between the two Caucasus neighbours erupted after Baku’s lightning offensive and its occupation on Nagorno Karabakh on last September has caused separatist authorities to announce that the ethnic Armenian enclave would dissolve on January 1, 2024. After facing the prospect Azerbaijan’s rule, more than 100, 000 population of the region fled to Armenia within one week.
Azerbaijan is planning to “reintegrate” the region and its population who stayed into Azerbaijan. The attention is now on Zangezur corridor, which is an Armenian territory that separate Azerbaijan from its exclave Nakhchivan. Ilhan Aliyev said that opening the corridor is a priority.
