When Pashinyan pleads from the podium of the Armenian Parliament for Ilham Aliyev to recognize the territorial integrity of Armenia, and to recognize the borders of the USSR, he is not doing it for the sake of Armenia or ensuring the territorial integrity of Armenia.
But for the sake of his salvation, for the preservation of his power. He understands that his policy has led to the fact that the fate of himself and his political team is in the hands of the President of Azerbaijan, at the moment Aliyev wants, Pashinyan will lose not only power but also the current guarantees of personal security as a result.
Pashinyan does not say from the NA podium that the RA government, army, and people are ready to protect the territorial integrity of the country, he does not say that in the event of an enemy attack, the Armenian people will give him a worthy counterattack, as the government of any self-respecting country would do. He says otherwise: I refuse Artsakh, I refuse to protect the rights of the people of Artsakh, I refuse even the territories that Azerbaijan captured from Armenia, as long as Aliyev does not continue the attacks on Armenia, as long as he leaves what is there, so that he can work as prime minister. The humiliating and disgusting curtseys directed at Turkey were also aimed at it. Pashinyan wanted to say that he is ready to make Armenia a Turkish vilayet, to erase the anti-Turkish section in the historical memory of the Armenian people. to be proud of the flags of Armenia flying in Turkey, only if Turkey mediates for Pashinyan, mediates with Aliyev to allow him to continue his miserable existence. Pashinyan is begging, but he is not sure that Turkey will respond.
Aliyev is delighted to see how Pashinyan is begging for pity on his knees, and humiliates him even more, he demands that Pashinyan not give up Artsakh and the rights of the people of Artsakh, but do it in the way he wants. declare that Karabakh is Azerbaijan, and that’s it. Pashinyan, who only 3 years ago declared that Artsakh is Armenia and that’s it, now he should declare that Karabakh is Azerbaijan and that’s it. There is no doubt that Pashinyan can make a similar statement from the podium of the parliament next time, justifying that if this is the price of ensuring the territorial integrity of Armenia, then he is ready to pay it, in exchange for Aliyev showing mercy to him.
But Aliyev needs something other than humiliating Pashinyan and enjoying that scene. He will never recognize the territorial integrity of Armenia, because he has territorial ambitions towards Armenia. He needs Syunik or at least a part of it, which he calls the Zangezur Corridor and wants to connect with Nakhichevan and Turkey through that corridor. Aliyev does not need a road, but the territory itself, it is necessary that Azerbaijan, not Armenia, has control and sovereignty over that territory. Why does Aliyev need to recognize the territorial integrity of Armenia if he is going to war against Armenia?
Pashinyan understands that he has brought the country and the army to such a state that there is almost no resource for resistance. The people of Syun, the army, of course, will resist, but only the determination and self-sacrifice of the people is not enough for victory, the state government must organize that resistance. Modern weapons, ammunition, mobilization of human and material resources of the country, appropriate work with allies are necessary. Something that Pashinyan’s government is not capable of implementing, the best proof of which was the 44-day war of 2020.
Pashinyan understands that when Azerbaijan starts a large-scale war against Armenia and invades the territory of Armenia, his government will fall. The Armenian people will finally understand that the “peace agenda” promoted by Pashinyan has failed, and the only way to save Armenia is to remove the current government. At that time, neither the police nor the bunker will save Pashinyan. That is why he asks Aliyev to be satisfied with territorial concessions of several hundred hectares, in one case in Tegh village, in another case in Nerkin Hand or in another part of Armenia, in order to at least temporarily satisfy Aliyev’s appetite and extend his power.
It is necessary for the opposition to initiate a process of power change in Armenia before the next large-scale attack by Azerbaijan, otherwise after that there will be a change of power automatically, nothing will be left of Armenia.
Avetis Babajanyan