ColumnsTashjian's Take
Syunik and the Geo-Economic Future of the South Caucasus
The recent Azerbaijani border line encroachment towards Syunik should not surprise us at all. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s threats after the war over Artsakh to forcibly open a “corridor” connecting Azerbaijan to its Nakhichevan exclave via Syunik, the role of Azerbaijani media in mobilizing its people for the “cause of Zangezur corridor,” and spreading the narrative of Zangezur being “Azerbaijani ancestral land” all fall within the context of the recent escalation.
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Yeghia, this is helpful. We’re following with anxiety particularly as most people feel that Pashinian will agree to any deal to secure his political future, like you said.
But it would be useful to know the history of how these enclaves and villages were given to Azerbajan in the first place. Did that happen in Soviet times and why? Why do you use the phrase “return” and not give? A lot of territories were moved between countries and quasi independent regiona within the soviet republics, with subsequent changes in the ethnic markup. What’s the story with these villages?
Interesting Story, with True Facts.
The problem we have on Armenia’s eastern borders is attempts to determine what the country’s internationally recognized borders with Azerbaijan will be. Because of the 30 year old conflict between Yerevan and Baku, Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan was never made official. There were areas along the border where Azeris had advanced into Armenia and stayed, and there were areas along the border where Armenians had advanced into Azerbaijan and stayed. This 30 year old mess needs to be sorted out now that the much awaited war has come to pass. Knowing that Armenia is populated by self-destructive and politically-illiterate people, Baku is naturally trying to take advantage of the situation on various sectors along the border, especially since Nikol’s government hadn’t even thought about placing military units in those locations. Armenia however is NOT under a threat of an invasion by Baku. That is NOT going to happen. That is not going to happen not because Baku fears Armenia’s “mighty” military or its “almighty” Diaspora but because of Russia. Russians are the only reason why Armenia still exists today. This is why Russia/CSTO has remained somewhat silent. The demarcation of the border will be a lengthy and potentially dangerous process. And this is why we today desperately need professional politicians with close ties to Moscow more than ever before. Let’s therefore see what our peasantry “decides” on June 20th. “Democracy” got us into this historic mess, let’s see if it will get us out of it this time around…
The “mess” can only be sorted out with the aid of modern GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and not with historic maps of Artsakh. The American University of Armenia has GIS capabilities, and also does policy analysis, and can aid and assist the govt. of Armenia in that regard.
No, thank you. The American-Armenian University of Armenia has done enough damage in the country. The “mess” will be worked on by Russian and Armenian specialists.
The American University of Armenia (Hayasdani Amerigagan Hamasaran) was created by Armenian specialists ! Other “messes” such as restoring power to Armenia were not resolved by Hayasdan based specialists! Armenia could not even restore gas to the Martyr’s monument! I was in Armenia at that time and know what I am talking about!