MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING: WHAT HIDES BEHIND AZERI OFFICIALS STATEMENTS

Pan Armenian News
18.05.2005 08:31

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The statement by Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar
Mamedyarov about Armenia’s readiness to return seven regions stirred
up a clamor incited by the Azeri party among the Russian media even
after the Armenian Foreign Ministry refuted it. The articles published
in the Russian press often contradicted one another. On one hand
the matter concerns “the volunteer return of the territories with
the guarantee that Azerbaijan will not wage war” on the other hand
there is hearsay that the Azerbaijani army can receive back the seven
territories by force. Azeri opposition parties accuse the incumbent
leadership of the inability to settle the Karabakh problem and call to
restore Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity by force. The opposition
representatives assure that the Aliyev administration has a plan of
resumption of hostilities in case the domestic situation deteriorates
after the parliamentary elections. However Baku can apply force only
with the “secret consent of US, Russia and… Armenia”, some Russian
sources report. According to Russian media, “lately the hearsay on
US and Russia’s consent for such developments has been spread in
Baku. These countries are allegedly convincing Yerevan not to support
Karabakh during the “little war”, which will not touch Karabakh itself
anyway. There is a version that after convincing the Armenian party
Moscow and Washington can organize a demonstrative withdrawal of
the Armenian troops from Azerbaijan. Then long and inefficient talks
will start. Meanwhile some forces in Baku are celebrating victory and
“generously” give OK to the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border –
the fact Armenia to all appearances “cannot resist”. However, despite
discrepancies the Russian sources are tended to think that Mamedyarov’s
“sensational” statement is addressed first of all to the population of
Azerbaijan on the threshold of the upcoming parliamentary elections,
since with the help of such statements Ilham Aliyev will try to enlist
the support of the voters to secure himself from possible revolution.