On the verge of despair, Armenia throws itself into the arms of Iran

By Abdul Kerimkhanov

Azerbaijan’s popular Russian language news website Day.Az carries an article by Abdul Karimkhanov, editor-in-chief and expert, who sheds light on Iran's anti-Azerbaijani and pro-Armenian policies and why Tehran goes against the grain by tramping on own principles when it refers to Azerbaijan.

The original article can be found at the link below:

The Armenian government's lengthy attempts to seek help from power blocks and separate states remain futile. In lieu of trying to normalize relations with Azerbaijan, conclude a peace treaty as soon as possible, complete the process of border delimitation, and promote the opening of regional communications, Armenia is doing the exact opposite. Regular violations of the ceasefire along the state border, busing of protesters to Khankendi to artificially increase the number of protesters and similar provocations indicate that Yerevan is trying to delay the inevitable.

Special attention should be paid to the chronology of Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan’s steps. Following the September 12-13 escalations, Pashinyan spared no time to cry on the shoulder of CSTO in an attempt to drag the military alliance into a confrontation with Azerbaijan to no avail. Further, he begged for help from the West. In particular, Pashinyan turned to France and asked Monsieur Macron to put pressure on Azerbaijan. Despite the efforts of the French side, this attempt was unsuccessful. That did result in a number of statements from the French president and other French officials, but it never burst into anything more.

Later, Pashinyan initiated a meeting of the leaders of the CSTO countries, at which he once again was not met with understanding from other member states. Moreover, Nikol Vovayevich had to listen to harsh criticism from Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

"If Yerevan drags out the peace process in the South Caucasus, it will only get worse," the Belarus leader warned Pashinyan.

Generally, the prevailing atmosphere at the CSTO summit testified to the fact that the wishes of the Armenian side will remain just that, since all the member states have a reliable partner in the person of Azerbaijan, and no one intends to break off these ties for the sake of Armenia’s unfounded claims.

The Sochi negotiations between President Ilham Aliyev and Russian President Vladimir Putin were fruitless for Pashinyan. The Sochi Document, like the Prague Declaration, points to sovereignty, territorial integrity, and inviolability of borders. It also does not mention a word about Karabakh, which underlines President Aliyev’s words that the Karabakh conflict is history, and this issue is not being discussed.

Immediately after the Sochi fiasco, Pashinyan's eyes turned to Iran, where he recently paid an official visit.

Nikol Vovayevich considers the Islamic Republic as the last resort, trying to hear compassion from the lips of the mullocratic regime. The Iranian president did not let down his Armenian counterpart, saying at a press conference that "Pashinyan's visit to Tehran will be a turning point in the expansion of relations between the two countries".

It's no secret that Iran has always taken a traditionally cold stance towards Azerbaijan and gravitated towards Armenia, at best remaining neutral between the aggressor and the victim. During the 30-year-long occupation of Karabakh, we have not heard condemning statements from official Tehran, which was satisfied with the ongoing status quo at that time. After the 44-day war, the Iranian leadership regularly makes ridiculous statements about the Zangazur corridor, trying to be more Armenian than Armenians themselves. In addition, Tehran constantly insists on the inviolability of Armenia’s territorial integrity and its border. This raises the question - where were the Iranian authorities when it came to the sovereignty of Azerbaijan, which was violated by the Armenian Armed Forces during the First Karabakh War?

Iran's previous leaders were also very enthusiastic about the visits of Armenian officials (Kocharyan, Sargsyan), whose hands are soaked in the blood of innocent Azerbaijanis. On the Internet, you can find much fluffy affection of Iranian officials, "declarations of love" for the Armenian people, and other such revelations. It is no coincidence that this is Pashinyan's third visit to Iran, and during his previous visits, the Iranian leadership repeatedly hinted at certain "red lines".

Azerbaijan has never given Iran cause for concern. The country's leadership did not join the anti-Iranian sanctions; cooperation in the field of trade with the neighboring country continues to develop. At the same time, we do not see a similar approach by the Iranian side, which behaves, mildly speaking, not in a neighborly way. Recent events convince us that Tehran while adhering to Islamic values in words, has actually taken the side of those who commit massacres of Muslims and destroy mosques.

The Azerbaijani public is not blind to the hypocritical behavior of Iran. And it's time for Tehran to understand that speaking with Baku in the language of threats is to its own detriment.