By Sabina Mammadli
Armenia's revenge-seeking opposition forces, made up mainly of the Karabakh clan that are on the streets nowadays, are doing everything possible to derail a possible peace deal with Azerbaijan, thus pushing it into a potential third war.
Since mid-April, Yerevan's streets have been overwhelmed by protesters, accusing Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of plotting to "surrender Karabakh" after he called for the signing of a peace treaty with Baku.
The blood-thirsty opposition is completely rejecting Azerbaijan’s attempts to normalize relations and sign a peace treaty that would pave the way for a new chapter in the region.
Another act of Armenian provocation designed to undermine any effort toward normalization of the ties was the recent discourse of the ex-head of the Main Directorate of Training of the Armed Forces of Armenia, Maj-Gen Valerik Kocharyan. He claimed that Azerbaijan had suffered heavy losses during the second Karabakh war, and therefore, there was no need to hurry for the signing of a peace deal.
As no victory is possible without victims, Azerbaijan's losses during the 44-day war were inevitable. However, Armenia's official losses were several times more and the aggressor country cannot yet explain to its own people why seas of blood were shed for the war that was and will always be described as aggressive and go down in history as the war of occupation.
“Why is Azerbaijan in a hurry to sign a peace deal now? They know very well that when Armenians unite, they cannot fight with us. Today we unite around the idea of defending our country and people," Kocharyan alleged.
It would seem that the 44-day war convinced the opponents of the Pashinyan government about Azerbaijan’s readiness to protect itself and fight for its territorial integrity. However, if that was not persuasive enough to those who want a third war, Azerbaijan is ready for it.
By liberating Jabrayil, Fuzuli, Zangilan, Gubadli, and Shusha, five settlements, about 300 villages, strategic heights, as well as Aghdam, Kalbajar, and Lachin, demonstrating a high-level combat readiness, the Azerbaijani army set an example during the patriotic war.
The mere parallel of the liberated Azerbaijani territories resurrected from the ruins and the ongoing demonstrations of the Armenian opposition demanding revenge, which means new blood and new suffering, convincingly proves that Azerbaijan is after creation, and Armenia is for destruction.
The reality is simple – Azerbaijan is ready for another war but what will the cost of it be for Armenia?
Video chronicles of the 44-day war are documentary evidence of the poor training of the Armenian servicemen. Moreover, any losses suffered by a country during the war must be assessed against the real state of its economy, GDP, and strategic foreign exchange reserves.
In all macroeconomic indicators, Azerbaijan by far outclasses Armenia, whose economy, is on its last leg, having long lost its independence.
Kocharyan is right about one thing: Azerbaijan is really in a hurry to sign a peace deal that opens up the way for achieving a full-fledged peace between the two Caucasus states.
The reason behind this is far different from what the Armenian general implies, the country looks into the future, and wants to work on peaceful construction and ensure further economic development.