Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan decided to provoke clashes on the border with Azerbaijan in order to strengthen his domestic political position, trying to consolidate citizens dissatisfied with the failure of his government, editor-in-chief of 'National Defense' magazine Igor Korotchenko told Vestnik Kavkaza, commenting on the Armenian military’s attack on the Tovuz region of Azerbaijan.
"I think the main goal is to divert the attention of Armenian citizens from the Pashinyan government's failed policy, once again create the image of an external enemy. That is, the goal is to extend Pashinyan's days in power. The republic is now in a severe political crisis, a broad opposition coalition is being formed against Pashinyan. In this uncomfortable situation for the Prime Minister, a military provocation was needed to transfer the accumulated discontent from himself to Azerbaijan," he explained.
"Now, because of this, Armenian soldiers are dying, but Nikol Pashinyan is only interested in his own political survival. Of course, his propaganda apparatus says that Azerbaijan is to blame - although Azerbaijan does not need military action during the coronavirus pandemic. Azerbaijan is aimed at peaceful development and is now focused on preserving and restoring the economy after the effects of quarantine measures," Igor Korotchenko emphasized.
According to the expert, Russia is interested in the stabilization of the situation. "I think the Russian authorities will call for a ceasefire and peaceful dialogue, as far as possible in this situation. At the same time, Russia understands that it was Pashinyan's regime that acted as the provocateur. This has already happened many times, under the new authorities, Armenia remained an aggressor country occupying 20% of the territory of Azerbaijan. In recent months, we have heard belligerent statements from Yerevan that they are ready, if necessary, to resume military operations against Azerbaijan and even occupy another quarter of Azerbaijani territory. Armenia has replaced the military doctrine with a more aggressive one, with 'preventive strikes' - and now we see the provisions of this doctrine are being implemented," he said.
"As a result, for Nikol Pashinyan, war is like heaven’s manna, which can be attributed to all problems and mistakes, he could continue to usurp power, explain the cleansing of opponents and the Constitutional Court of Armenia by the need to consolidate the nation against Azerbaijan. These technologies have been worked out since the Third Reich times," Igor Korotchenko concluded.
