Pashinyan-Aliev Verbal Clash at CIS Summit: Sasunyan

Harut Sasunyan, publisher of the California Courier, writes in his article: “Last week, the nine leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), comprising former Soviet republics, met in the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana. The meeting was attended by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and the leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

During the meeting, while discussing the existing conflicts between their countries, the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan clashed in the presence of other participants, especially Russian President Vladimir Putin. Aliyev’s statements were filled with falsehoods. He falsely claimed that after the 2020 war, Armenia deployed '1,400 anti-personnel mines produced in Armenia near the border of the Lachin region in 2021.' He insisted that 'the clashes lasted a maximum of eight hours,' even though Azerbaijan continues to violate the ceasefire regime to this day. He lied by stating that 'Azerbaijan had no intention of occupying Armenian territory, as some might suggest.' He ignored the fact that the Azerbaijani army has remained inside Armenia’s borders since its earlier incursion on May 12, 2021.

Aliyev attempted to flatter Putin by asserting that 'thanks to the mediation efforts of the Russian side, I want to emphasize that it was the Russian side that proposed the ceasefire. Some attribute this to other countries, which is absolutely unfounded. Thanks to the mediation efforts of the Russian side, the clashes, as I mentioned, ceased.'

Thus, he contradicted reports that the United States had intervened to establish the ceasefire. He also confessed that Azerbaijan had 'decisively rejected' the European Union’s proposal to deploy a civilian mission on the Azerbaijani side of the border. 'For this reason, the mission will be stationed on the territory of Armenia,' he said.

Aliyev sharply criticized French President Emmanuel Macron, who has made sympathetic remarks about Armenia. Aliyev expressed dissatisfaction that Macron had made 'offensive, unacceptable, false, and provocative statements... He accused Azerbaijan of waging a terrible war.'

Aliyev once again tried to please Putin by claiming that Macron had made 'biased statements against the Russian Federation, namely, “Russia played the Azerbaijani game.”’ As a result, Aliyev stated that he rejects any further mediatory role of France in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He also expressed dissatisfaction with the French Foreign Minister’s 'anti-Azerbaijani statements,' and the Senate of France’s recognition of Karabakh, and the second resolution that is 'expected to come up in the French Senate in mid-November.' He blamed these developments on the 'Armenian diaspora in France' for its influence.

Aliyev accused Armenia of organizing 'provocations' against Azerbaijan’s embassies in France, Lebanon, and the United States. He falsely asserted, 'We have no doubt that terrorism and devastation were organized by Armenia. Why am I saying this? Because, in the 1990s, Armenian special services (in Azerbaijan) carried out 32 terrorist acts—explosions in the metro, buses, ferries, and trains. As a result of these horrific terrorist acts, more than 2,000 Azerbaijani civilians lost their lives.'

Following this, Aliyev attempted to turn the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict into a religious war by accusing Armenians of having an 'extreme degree of hatred for the Azerbaijani people and the entire Muslim world,' forgetting that Armenia and Armenians have very warm relations with many Islamic countries.

Aliyev once again lied by claiming that Azerbaijan has fulfilled 'all the provisions of the November 2020 agreement after the war.' However, two years after the war, dozens of Armenian prisoners of war continue to remain in prisons in Baku. He also lied about Armenia not providing 'unhindered access for Azerbaijan to Nakhchivan.' But Armenia has repeatedly stated its willingness to provide such access, while Azerbaijan has not responded.

Aliyev concluded his speech by declaring that his 'patience is not unlimited' and threatened that if he does not receive what he demands from Armenia, 'we will have no choice but to act accordingly.'

Next, Prime Minister Pashinyan took the floor to respond to Aliyev's lies. Referring to Azerbaijan's September aggression as an 'unprovoked military attack against Armenia,' Pashinyan condemned the Azerbaijani military for committing war crimes by executing Armenian prisoners of war in violation of the Geneva Conventions.

Pashinyan also accused Azerbaijan of having the intention to 'occupy more territories of Armenia.' He criticized the 'insufficient response of regional security organizations (Collective Security Treaty Organization), which has raised very sharp questions in Armenian society.' He asked whether the CSTO recognizes the borders of former Soviet republics.

Pashinyan stated that Azerbaijan now wants to know the fate of missing Azerbaijani soldiers from the 1990s Nagorno-Karabakh war, revealing that after that war, 777 are considered missing, while 217 are considered missing after the 2020 war.

Pashinyan criticized Azerbaijan for falsely labeling the agreed road between Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan as a 'corridor.' He stated that although 'the Nagorno-Karabakh region is clearly mentioned' in the 2020 statement, Azerbaijan claims it 'does not exist.'

Pashinyan also responded to Aliyev's false claim that Armenia has mined Azerbaijani territories after the 2020 war. Pashinyan declared that 'such mining has taken place entirely within the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia. And it is our right to take security measures to protect the territorial integrity of our country.'

Pashinyan also countered Aliyev's false claim that the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has a religious nature, reaffirming Armenia's close relations with many Muslim countries. Pashinyan denied any involvement in organizing attacks against Azerbaijan’s embassies in foreign countries. 'Where is the evidence?' he asked.

Concluding his remarks, Pashinyan once again spoke of his unreasonable hopes for peace with Azerbaijan and Turkey, considering their ongoing enmity towards Armenia. 'Peace cannot be achieved from one side while the other side is trying to kill you. The enemy that constantly attacks you and aims a gun at your head cannot be considered a reliable partner for peace.'