Stanislav Tarasov on the abduction of Armenians in the Lachin corridor: If Yerevan had pursued a more decisive policy, a lot of things could have been prevented

Political expert Stanislav Tarasov has commented to Alpha News on the situation with the abduction of three Armenians, football players of a local sports club, in the Lachin corridor.

“It is some kind of dark story, some forbidden techniques. Why people are being abducted — it makes a fuss, it creates motivation for broad actions,” the expert said.

According to Tarasov, some third force may be behind Azerbaijan’s actions, since the political consequences of these abductions are not beneficial for Baku itself.

“Azerbaijan is well aware that the Armenian side is already appealing to the UN Security Council, they are internationalizing the Karabakh problem, and Azerbaijan is no longer able to convert its victory in the Second Karabakh War into a chamber version. They had a chance to negotiate secretly with Pashinyan in the presence of some intermediaries. It doesn’t work out, it leads to scandals, its hands are tied to unleash a power scenario and other scenarios to implement its plans. Therefore, in this context, abductions are some kind of provocation, it is unclear to whom it is beneficial,” the political expert said.

At the same time, the expert believes that if the Armenian authorities had pursued a more decisive policy, it might have been possible to prevent something. However, he notes that official Yerevan behaves hypocritically, turning away from Russia and setting a course of cooperation with the West.

“Macron and Biden are important for Yerevan now. These are its clients. Putin’s calls to somehow settle down do not work. Well, now the Armenians have to pass through the West. They want it — let them pass,” Tarasov said.

He adds that both Armenia and Azerbaijan do not support the proposals of the Russian side, and in the end, Moscow is to blame.

“In order for there to be no checkpoint (in the Lachin corridor), it was necessary to specify the statement of November 9, 2020 in more detail, what Moscow insisted on and why Yerevan and Baku refused. Well, Yerevan is silent and shows an emotional reaction, saying that the Russians have to do it. The Russians say: yes, we have to do it, but let’s come to terms,” Tarasov concluded.