Baku is preparing for the December talks by increasing military expenditure. Is Pashinyan preparing by shaving?

While the main topic of discussion in Armenia is the specifics of the personnel policy implemented by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan using the WhatsApp messenger and changes in his style, official Baku is intensively preparing for the next round of talks with Armenia.

It became known from a recent statement by Ilham Aliyev’s aide, Hikmet Hajiyev, that Azerbaijan and Armenia will return to discussing the text of the peace agreement next month, in December.

Moreover, in his recent remarks, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated that Armenia’s “policy of militarization poses a threat to regional peace and security.” Translated from the diplomatic language, this means that Baku wants to put an end to Armenia’s ability to rearm the army according to its capabilities and needs. Simply put, Azerbaijan demands Armenia’s demilitarization. This will be Baku’s demand in December talks with Armenia.

At the same time, Azerbaijan announced an increase in defense spending. It is important to note that the Azerbaijani mass media present this decision as “Baku’s response to Armenia’s policy.”

“Initially, these expenses were planned in the amount of 6 billion 658 million manats. However, ‘given the scale of militarization in Armenia,’ on the instructions of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, defense and security spending was increased by 1 billion 738 million manats and reached 8 billion 396.3 million manats ($4 billion 939 million),” the Azerbaijani media wrote.

Moreover, Armenian experts note that in November there was the highest number of transfers of weapons and military equipment from Israel to Azerbaijan in recent times. Over the past 5 days, there have been four transfers (November 14, 15, 18, and 19).

If you “look closely”, it will become obvious that Baku will begin “a campaign for the Treaty of Alexandropol in its modern formation” in December. Under the 2020 agreement, Armenia not only actually abandoned the army and put its communications under the control of the Turkish side, but also assumed obligations to ensure the stay of a Turkish representative in Yerevan, who was supposed to monitor Armenia’s fulfillment of its obligations. Do you think that Aliyev and Erdogan already have their candidates for the role of representative in Yerevan?

That’s where the question arises: what will Nikol Pashinyan bring to the December talks besides his new look?

Think about it…