After Such Statements, Let Us Not Panic: Elibegova on Hasanov's Remarks

It should be understood that Zakir Hasanov did not say anything outside the vocabulary of Azerbaijani propaganda and the rhetoric of the military elite. This was stated by Azerbaijani expert Angela Elibegova in an interview with Tert.am, commenting on the statement made by Azerbaijan's Minister of Defense Zakir Hasanov: "We will express our stance on the battlefield," in response to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's declaration: "Artsakh is Armenia, and that's final."

According to Elibegova, throughout the year, there have been many similar statements made by both Hasanov and President Ilham Aliyev, as well as Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva. "The latter, as a woman, seems to be tasked with promoting peace, yet she continually speaks of the strength and readiness of their army," Elibegova pointed out.

Regarding Hasanov's statement itself, the expert noted, "It was expected because when either the Armenian or Azerbaijani side clarifies its position on any issue, the opposing side must escalate its rhetoric and respond in kind. Zakir Hasanov, in turn, was answered by Armenia's Minister of Defense David Tonoyan, who said, 'Dreaming is a good thing.'"

Elibegova stated that such statements are political, aimed at both internal and opposing audiences to convey a sense of alarm. "It is crucial that we do not start to panic after such statements, but remain vigilant, understanding that the threat can materialize at any moment, especially as Azerbaijan is continuously conducting large-scale military exercises and does not hide its weapons acquisitions and overall activities," she emphasized, noting that a similar situation existed before the April War, when threats turned into military actions, and this logic may repeat itself at any time.

To the question of where the Armenian side's declarations about preparing the peoples for peace have gone, the expert responded, "We must always speak of peace because failing to do so means you are stepping outside the process of striving for peace. There is a formal aspect to the issue, and a bitter reality we need to be prepared for. In other words, it is not realistic to hope or have illusions that Azerbaijan will at some point stop its actions. We simply need to realistically assess the situation and sometimes be proactive."

Elibegova noted that the Azerbaijani side also talks about peace, but under its own conditions. "They have a clear position, stating that they cannot talk about peace until Armenia withdraws its troops from the territories of Nagorno-Karabakh and fulfills several other conditions. From the very beginning, both at the level of the presidential administration and lower levels, they have conveyed this message; it is their official stance," the expert commented, adding that, of course, no one is willing to meet those conditions.

"This so-called peaceful process is an imitation from both us and Azerbaijan, but the Azerbaijani society is not part of that imitation, while various circles within our society actively declare their childish hopes and illusions that there might be some point in time where they could reach out to Azerbaijani society regarding the Artsakh issue. It will not happen. If it could happen, it would have been achieved during the last 30 years or at the beginning of the century," Elibegova concluded.