“There will soon be a NATO base in Azerbaijan”
Yerevan says that a military base of Turkey, a NATO member country, will soon be established in Azerbaijan. At the same time, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan talks about some “positive signals” from Ankara, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan promises to respond positively to Yerevan’s “positive signals”. Does all this mean a “breakthrough” and a warming in the Armenian-Turkish relations? MK talked about this with the former deputy of the National Assembly of Armenia Artashes Geghamyan.
Photo: OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.
– Turkey has opened a representative office of its Armed Forces in Azerbaijan. A special group of the Turkish command will work in Baku under the leadership of General Bakhtiar Ersay (head of the operational department of the Turkish Ground Forces – M. P.). This is the infamous general who, during the 44-day war against Nagorno-Karabakh last year, actually led the work of the General Staff of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry. He directly led the units of the Turkish armed forces that fought on the side of Azerbaijan against the Karabakh Defense Army. He also directly coordinated the actions of Syrian mercenaries, terrorists, of whom about two thousand were brought to Karabakh. This group of the Turkish command is still being formed, and already it includes four generals. In addition to Ersay, among them is the military adviser of the Turkish Embassy in Baku.
– The Turks are taking a kind of revenge for the humiliation that Putin inflicted on them last year. Erdogan tried in every possible way to squeeze in, he wanted the statement about the end of the war in Karabakh to be made with the participation of Turkey, so that the Turkish troops who fought in Karabakh would remain there as peacekeepers. But the Russian side did not allow this. Ankara was content only with the creation of a joint Russia – Turkey monitoring group. Erdogan, being a very vindictive person, cannot forget this.
– The Turkish armed forces that were stationed in the Nakhichevan Autonomous Region are probably no longer enough. Moreover, in conditions when the Russian Federation is gradually pulling its border units towards Meghri, and this is a vital strategic area for Erdogan. The Megrin Christian Civilizational wedge is actuallyIt breaks the “Islamic arc” that stretches from Gibraltar in the north of Africa to the Middle East, Turkey and Azerbaijan. It is very important for Erdogan to knock the Armenians out of Meghri so that this “Islamic arc” is not interrupted, as this hinders the fulfillment of his cherished dream of creating a Great Turan, which will unite the Turkic-speaking states.
– The situation is very difficult, because today most of the Armenian media are trying to create a false impression among the population that Russia has abandoned Armenia and does not stand behind it as reliably as Turkey does behind Azerbaijan. The ultimate goal is to expel the Russian military from Armenia, including the 102nd military base. Which will eventually lead to the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border. And what will happen after that, we see on the example of Adjara. There we see complete Turkization, the entire economy is in the hands of Turkish businessmen. Georgians are left with the work of servants and cleaners, and Turks are sitting in all the good places.
– Today, there is no question of opening the border, but there are mutual signals. Pashinyan talks about positive signals from Turkey, he is echoed by Erdogan, who says that there are encouraging signals from the Armenian leadership. Maybe Pashinyan sees positive signals in the fact that out of two thousand Syrian militants who fought in Nagorno-Karabakh last yearIn Karabakh, a thousand settled there? Or that under the guise of Afghan refugees from Syria, militants are being transported through Turkey and Azerbaijan today, who are settling in the occupied territories of the NKR? The situation is very alarming. I see the solution only in the establishment of a Russian protectorate over Nagorno-Karabakh. And Armenia itself should join the union state of Russia and Belarus.