BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 22. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's official visit to Azerbaijan on March 17 was marked by encouraging moments; nonetheless, other information emerged prior to his journey to Yerevan, Trend reports.
Thus, news of the upcoming meeting between US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Stoltenberg in April 2024 created the impression that events are unfolding in the opposite direction.
Following Stoltenberg's visits to Baku and Yerevan, a significant moment became particularly apparent: during his visit to the South Caucasus, the main goal was to open a front from this region against Russia, providing support to the region's countries in their war against Russia.
It's quite likely that the West has once again realized that it cannot ask Azerbaijan, which pursues an independent state policy, for this favor because Azerbaijan is not Armenia.
Unlike Yerevan, Baku has no intention or desire to obey the orders of the West or other centers.
Azerbaijan pursues its own political line and is unwilling to
relinquish its balanced approach, which has enabled it to achieve
success for many years.
However, unlike Azerbaijan, which has greater opportunity to
influence processes, Armenia, whose foreign policy has long been
defined by'slave diplomacy', appears to have reinforced this
perspective during Stoltenberg's visit to Yerevan.
Thus, it is anticipated that the US and the European Union are
planning to sign a security guarantee treaty with Armenia, similar
to bilateral agreements between Ukraine and the UK, France,
Germany, and other nations.
NATO Secretary General also said in Yerevan that "if Russia wins in Ukraine, this will be most dangerous for everyone.".
Diplomatic relations between Armenia and Russia have significantly deteriorated over the past four years.
Yerevan believes it has received a 'historic chance' to'move away from Russia's orbit'.
It now seems obvious that this does not bode well, as evidenced by:
Armenia's resolve regarding the CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization) issue;
Armenian parliament's ratification of the agreement on the status of the EU mission on the border with Azerbaijan. Thus, Yerevan deals the biggest blow to the Kremlin, refusing to rely on Russia's military potential, which has always been its stronghold.
The majority of Armenian banks have decided to stop accepting cards from the 'Mir' Russian payment system as of March 30. This means that Armenia has joined the sanctions against Russia.
For Armenia, which is 'dancing' between the West and Russia, this dance seems to be the last one. This is undoubtedly the worst of all possible scenarios, but it's now obvious that Russia's influence is being squeezed out of the post-Soviet region.
Apparently, Armenia is the most active player in this regard. The steps taken by Pashinyan to make a sharp turn towards military cooperation with Western countries, such as France and the US, suggest this.
The preparation for the meeting in Brussels in April 2024 between US Secretary of State Blinken and European Commission President von der Leyen with Pashinyan and Stoltenberg, the creation of security guarantees for Armenia, is nothing more than an unjust position towards Baku, because this step cannot be interpreted as support for the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
This move by the West is an attempt to solve the issue unilaterally. It also does not meet the interests of Azerbaijan and is another biased position against our country.
The answer to how Armenia gained this 'trust' from the West is also very simple. It has become a habit for Armenia to betray its closest allies from time to time in favor of stronger parties. The Pashinyan regime lacks the necessary political will, and this poses an additional threat to Armenia's statehood, the continuity of the current government, and Pashinyan's security.
On February 18, during a meeting with representatives of the Armenian community in Germany, he said that "we must diversify our foreign policy. Moreover, we need to diversify our security and other connections. There is no other way." Thus, he indicated that it was time to change owners and that a new stage in the policy of 'slavery' had begun.
The West wants to enter the South Caucasus at all costs, with the firm intention of blocking the'main gateway' to Russia, and once again, Armenia becomes its intermediary in this matter. This is an attempt by the West to militarily invade the region on a larger scale after the EU mission, which could lead to an explosion in the region and a serious blow to emerging regional security.
Apparently, the West believes that opening the gates to the South Caucasus is the main step towards pushing Russia out of this region and out of Central Asia. The position of Azerbaijan as the main guarantor of security in the region is well known worldwide. Baku will take an extremely tough stance against any decision that threatens the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and the security of its borders.
However, in this matter, other states of the region, Russia and Iran, should be even more concerned. If the issue is about pushing Russia out of the region, then serious threats to Iran's security may arise on its borders with Armenia.
The mentioned neighbors, who have been patronizing Armenia for many years without considering taking measures against its policy of invasion, should consider a response to this plan without delay.
Both Moscow and Tehran know well what threats await them if the response is delayed. It's not excluded that, under the guise of a 'security belt', Armenia will now deliver the biggest blow to Russia and Iran.
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