As a result of the 45-day war, Azerbaijan was not able to take all of Nagorno-Karabakh by force of arms. The French newspaper L’Opinion wrote about this, referring to the Artsakh-Azerbaijani war unleashed by Azerbaijan on September 27 and the trilateral statement adopted on November 10. The newspaper notes that although the ultimate goal was not achieved, the current situation in Azerbaijan is perceived as “an end to thirty years of humiliation” after the 1994 defeat.
Recalling that the statement was made by the leaders of three countries – Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan, the French media notes that Turkey was left behind the scenes, and the Artsakh leadership did not appear at the negotiating table.
As reported by “Armenpress”, L’Opinion writes ․ “Russia is the clear winner in this conflict ․ It was Putin who reached the political agreement, and the Russian peacekeepers were deployed in the contact line. Official Moscow has strengthened its position in Armenia ․ in a country that is closely connected and already depends on Russia. “After the war, that dependence will be greater.”
Speaking about Turkey, the news website notes that by supporting Azerbaijan (“Two states, one people”, as they say in Ankara), it imposed its presence in the negotiations with Russia. “This dialogue between Putin and Erdogan increased the theater even more, after the energy problems from Syria and Libya. And neighboring Iran remained in the background, splitting its friendly relations with Armenia “between the Azerbaijani minority living on its land.” “Azeris speak Azerbaijani, which is very close to Turkish, but at the same time they are Shiite Muslims, as in Iran.”
One thing is clear for L’Opinion ․ Western countries, led by the United States and France, have withdrawn from the diplomatic game. “Since 1994, the three co-chairs of the Minsk Group – France, America and Russia – have been responsible for finding a solution to this conflict. They failed because the Armenian side, which won the previous war, was satisfied with the status quo. “This is another failure for pro-Armenian France, which is hostile to Turkey, after Syria and Libya,” the newspaper writes.
According to L’Opinion, the Nagorno-Karabakh war will be analyzed in military schools, especially in France, where the possibility of such a confrontation is currently being considered. The military leadership of the Azerbaijani side benefited from the Turkish military assistance, including the special forces, due to which the military forces of Baku were brought to a sufficiently good level.