Armenia shifts its blame to Russia because this is what the West demands – Arthur Khachikian

Commenting on the statement by Armenian Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan that Russia returned Artsakh to Azerbaijan, PhD from Stanford University Arthur Khachikian recalled that on October 5, 2022, in Prague, it was Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan who recognized Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan, and during the attack of Azerbaijan on Artsakh in September 2023, Pashinyan refused to help.

The political scientist believes that the Armenian authorities are blaming Russia because this is what the West demands.

“Turkey, the US, Israel, and Great Britain want to push Russia out of this region. First, they destroyed Karabakh, reduced Russia’s influence, after that, they will force Armenia to submit to Turkey, then we will lose Syunik, and after that, Azerbaijan and Israel will freely develop their cooperation against Iran. Azerbaijan and Israel are natural allies, Turkey also has excellent relations with Azerbaijan, sometimes it has normal relations with Israel, and sometimes not, but what is important is that Great Britain and the US stand behind them. They all want there to be no Armenia or Syunik,” Arthur Khachikian told Alpha News.

US Assistant Secretary of State James O’Brien also announced the need to open a road through the Syunik region of Armenia. He noted that the United States needs a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan to carry out exports bypassing Russia and China.

Arthur Khachikian noted that the United States needs to create a corridor from Central Asia to the South Caucasus and Europe, bypassing Russia so that it can no longer sell its gas and oil.

“The United States needs Russia and Iran to leave this region and to strengthen the positions of their allies Israel, Turkey, and Azerbaijan. The United States does not say anything about what will happen to Armenia. Here the question arises: will the United States ensure our security if Turkey and Azerbaijan decide to seize this corridor by force? The United States claims that it recognizes Syunik as the territory of Armenia, and the corridor must be opened with the consent of Armenia. But we have repeatedly heard many beautiful statements—even before the eviction of the Armenians from Karabakh—that the United States will not tolerate the exodus of the Armenians. However, this happened.

Now, if Turkey and Azerbaijan use force to seize the corridor, is the United States ready to impose sanctions? Of course not. If it does not ensure our security, what will happen to us after the capture of the Syunik corridor? Will the US fight with Turkey and Azerbaijan? No. Perhaps it will pass some kind of condemnatory resolution, call for restraint, and say that the peace process must move forward. We will find ourselves in the position of Cyprus, which has been waiting since 1973 for the restoration of its internationally recognized border, but the United States and Europe cannot protect the EU member state from Turkey,” the political scientist noted.