The West makes a historical mistake in the Caucasus -  COMMENT
// A necessary history lesson for Joseph Borrel

  24 September 2023    Read: 828
  The West makes a historical mistake in the Caucasus -   COMMENT        // A necessary history lesson for Joseph Borrel

by Mubariz Ahmadoglu

In recent months, Europe increased the pressure on Azerbaijan regarding the Armenian issue. This can be considered as an "attack". The process started by French President Emmanuel Macron is now being continued by Joseph Borrell, the European Union's High Commissioner for Security and Foreign Affairs.

Azerbaijan's activities are not considered relevant to the Europeans' diplomatic attack. Azerbaijan signed a trilateral declaration on November 10, 2020, because it believes that it is ready for peace and that Armenia will fulfil its obligations. Armenia, on the other hand, did not withdraw its armed units and military arsenal from Karabakh, on the contrary, it increased it more. Using the Lachin road, they transported weapons and ammunition to Azerbaijan and mined the area.

During the battles of September 19, the entire military arsenal of Karabakh Armenians was captured. It could be compared with the arsenal of a middle-class European state. The first condition of the tripartite declaration was the withdrawal of the armed forces of Armenia from the territory of Azerbaijan. If this had been followed, there would not have been an anti-terrorist operation on September 19. Europeans do not want to see this truth.

Murad Papazyan, who has been a friend of all presidents in France for the past 30 years, and the chairman of the Coordination Council of French Armenian Organizations, is not allowed to enter Armenia. The reason was that several members of the organization headed by Papazyan expressed their objection to Pashinyan. French President Macron never once told Pashinyan that this was an anti-Armenian and anti-democratic step. Macron's support is not doing good for Armenians. It is simply an anti-Azerbaijani step based on the Turkey factor.

Journalists who asked harsh questions to Pashinyan at the press conference are being persecuted. Protesters are being arrested. But the ambassadors of Western countries not only do not react, but on the contrary, they defend Pashinyan. They need democracy as an excuse to justify Western support to Armenia. This is the path that leads Armenians to tragedy. Borrel and Macron's anti-Turkish policy is also wrong. Europeans wanted to take revenge on Turkey for what happened during the Ottoman period. They forget that Armenians preserved their religion in the Ottoman Empire. At that time, Armenians were the seeing eyes and hearing ears of the Ottomans in Europe. Before attacking any European country, the Ottomans sent Armenians there for intelligence.

The Ottomans brought up the Armenian as a tool. Later, this tool turned against them. After the strengthening of Tsarist Russia, Armenians began to cooperate with Russians. Before Russia came to the South Caucasus, there was no state called "Armenia" in this region. For the first time in history, it was Tsarist Russia that gave a state to Armenians. Russia first created a state called "Eastern Armenia", and then "Little Armenia".

The Armenians, who became a tool, were later used by the USA to destroy the USSR. The EU is not immune to such a threat.

Borrel and other European Union officials are driving an Islamic-Christian divide in the South Caucasus. This is a serious and dangerous mistake. Conducting a policy based on peace and justice is the need of the hour for the South Caucasus. Borrell's bias will not be able to do anything to Azerbaijan anyway. The effect will be only to further strengthen Turkey-Azerbaijani relations.

Historically, Azerbaijanis also had the experience of close cooperation with Europeans. The biggest example of this is the port of Bandar Abbas in the Persian Gulf. The Safavid ruler Shah Abbas started the construction with the Portuguese and continued with the British. The Dutch and the Spanish also took part in these processes. But Azerbaijan has never become a tool against anyone in the hands of someone.

 

Mubariz Ahmadoglu is the Director of the Center for Political Innovation and Technologies.
Especially for AzVision.az


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