State of Emergency in the Country and Borders: What Was the Situation in Domestic Political Life

According to the 'Zhoghovurd' newspaper, on July 13, the state of emergency in Armenia, established since March 16, was extended for the fourth time. While Armenia struggled against an invisible enemy internally, the situation escalated at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, leading to a fight not only against the internal adversary but also against an external foe.

It is no secret that a situation of heightened tension at the border also involves an informational war, in which Armenia found itself yesterday. So, what was the internal political situation? A group attempted to organize gatherings, while the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) in the parliament and the opposition parties 'Homeland' and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) united to advocate for allowing protests in the country.

This means that the situation unleashed by Azerbaijan also served as a unique test for both the authorities and the opposition, as well as the media. Many websites, including those with opposition leanings, mostly awaited the official statement from the Ministry of Defense, publishing only that. However, there were some daredevils who portrayed Azerbaijan's unprecedented military actions at Armenia's border in a different light. Thus, we note that since the April 2016 war, this has been a litmus test for both the revolutionary authorities and the opposition; however, the experience was not overcome, and there were many speculations from the opposition, including mentions of the Prime Minister's soldier son.

To everyone's relief, the Armenian army was able to resolve the political issue it faced without human losses, unlike the resolution of the April war, which resulted in the loss of 800 hectares of 'unusable territories'. It is worth noting that on July 12, the Armenian Ministry of Defense reported that Azerbaijani armed forces had started shelling towards Tavush, which continued the next day.

For the first time, Armenia appealed to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) regarding the border tension, which was supposed to hold an extraordinary session yesterday. However, it was postponed, citing the need for new information before it could take place.

Meanwhile, Konstantin Zatulin, a member of the Russian State Duma, noted in an interview with the 'Zhoghovurd' newspaper that all CSTO members must agree on the text of the statement, and only under the condition that it is proven that there has been an attack will a statement be made. 'It must still be proven that this was an attack from Azerbaijan, not just a border incident. The examination of the facts was the reason for the postponement of the session,' he remarked.

What position the CSTO will ultimately take remains to be seen, but the facts presented by the Armenian side could change a lot.