Azerbaijan has its own Russian Separatist Problems

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By USDR

Since July 31, Armenian forces have been attempting to covertly infiltrate Azerbaijani positions in Agdam and Terter districts (Line of Contact in Nagorno Karabakh region of Azerbaijan) and in Gazakh district ofAzerbaijan (Azerbaijan-Armenian border) away from the main conflict zone in gross violation of the existing ceasefire regime. The attacks are being repelled by Azerbaijani forces with numerous casualties reported.

This takes place as Azerbaijan continues its commitment to finding peaceful resolution to the conflict. Armenian leadership continues its policy of provoking war to destabilize the region since 1994 when the ceasefire agreement was signed. It is in the best interest ofArmenia and its allies to destabilize Azerbaijan, a major source of energy resources being transported to the West and economic powerhouse of the region. Ambassador James Warlick, the U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, has called for the ceasefire to be respected.

Notably, the attacks come both from across the Armenia border and from the Armenian forces illegally occupying the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan and adjacent districts. This follows the exact pattern used by pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine, and used earlier inGeorgia and Moldova. Incidentally, the separatists in Ukraine do not hide their support for Armenia, among other things, by posting statements of separatist leaders. Having all but turn into a de-facto Russian satellite state, a fact widely acknowledged by many Armenian commentators, Armenia is once again serves as a poorly disguised proxy to put pressure on the region’s pivotal nation and a key Western ally Azerbaijan and to destabilize an entire region.

In April – November 1993, the UN Security Council adopted four resolutions 822, 853, 874 and 884 calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian forces and allowing the return of Azerbaijani refugees. Armenia has blatantly disregarded the resolutions and other statements by the international community. The experience of the last two decades in Eurasia has clearly demonstrated that the presence of occupying forces and support for separatism represent the top threat to the future and prosperity of America’s allies and to the overall American interests in the region.

We urge the United States to maintain a consistent approach to all cases of Russian-backed separatism and, just as US does in the case of Ukraine, the Armenian separatism must be condemned and Armenia urged to abandon its annexation policies.