Azerbaijan has become ungovernable – Alexander Lapshin

Speaking with Alpha News, famous blogger Alexander Lapshin commented on the possibility of signing a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan and noted that Azerbaijan is an occupier, and everyone knows this.

“There will eventually be a peace treaty, but not in the very near future, and perhaps it will not be what the Armenian residents would like to see.

From my perspective, Armenia is going into these negotiations completely unprepared. I see what is happening in Tavush, and I try to look at it as neutrally as possible. Pashinyan wants to retreat to the Soviet borders because, as we know, during the first Karabakh war, Armenian forces advanced a little towards the Azerbaijani side, and Azerbaijani forces advanced towards the Armenian side in Tavush. But back then, there was some kind of status quo.

Today it turns out that Azerbaijan explains the occupation of Armenian lands in the Jermuk region, Verin Shorzha, and Syunik by the fact that there is no peace treaty. Accordingly, they themselves decide where the borders are. So, if Armenia officially returns to the Soviet borders, then today Azerbaijan is officially an occupier.

What is the problem, then? It is a well-known fact that Azerbaijan is an occupier. Armenia can surrender as many territories as it wants, but this does not mean that Azerbaijan will surrender Armenian lands in response.

For example, the Armenian enclave of Artsvashen. If you look at Google Maps, you can see how Azerbaijan is building its fortified area right on Armenian territory, literally 2 kilometers deep in Armenia itself.

It is hard for me to imagine that when the treaty is signed, Azerbaijan will abandon its fortifications, give them to the Armenian side, and retreat several kilometers. It is hard for me to imagine this, but in any case, I believe that if it has already been decided to surrender some territories, new fortified areas must be prepared in advance.

That is, if Armenia retreats, it is necessary to first build a new line of defense and only then leave the old one. Well, from what I see, this did not happen.

Today, Azerbaijan controls the main road that leads from Yerevan to Tbilisi.

Any car that passes there is under the watch of the Azerbaijani military.

The problem is that Azerbaijan is very professionally trying to sit on three chairs at the same time. That is, on the one hand, Azerbaijan plays with Russia; on the other hand, it provides some stability in oil and gas supplies to Turkey and the West. Several months ago, one of the European politicians told me that, by and large, they do not care whose Karabakh is; well, it belongs to those who managed to annex it. So it is not about Karabakh. The point is that they have a goal to push Russia out of the region,” Alexander Lapshin said.