Incursion into Jermuk practical phase of closing Artsakh issue for  Baku - expert

ArmInfo.Azerbaijan's actions in the direction of Armenian Jermuk in September 2022 were a  harbinger of the events a year later in Artsakh. Moreover, in practical terms, everything started in Jermuk, and theoretically, the beginning was laid during the meeting in Brussels two weeks before , political scientist Hakob Badalyan wrote on his social media account. 

The political scientist recalled that on the morning of September 13,  namely on that day, or more precisely - on the night of September  12-13, 2022, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces launched a large- scale  aggression against the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia  using large-caliber weapons, artillery, missile systems and unmanned  aerial vehicles, he made a post on Facebook in which he literally  indicated that Syunik was not Azerbaijan's target. And the point  here, as Badalyan pointed out, is not in rhetoric or simple desire,  since Baku would certainly like to take over the Syunik region, . for  players of a much higher weight category, and Aliyev understands that  this .

the Artsakh  issue by putting pressure on Armenia>, - the political scientist  wrote then.

Three weeks after Jermuk, the expert recalls, Prague took place,  where Azerbaijan, under the threat of Jermuk, actually received what  was key for it at that time, and began the active phase of .

of this  process for Baku. , many will ask the  question. Although in Armenia this question has  traditionally narrative accents, the interrogation itself is  important and significant.

Indeed, why didn't the Russians prevent the process that would have  led to of their presence in Artsakh?>, - asks Badalyan,  and then notes: do?>. In the end, with the  same logic, we can say what could have done when the  decisions were imposed under the threat of a repeat of the ,  and in fact, the silent support of Brussels>, - the political  scientist writes. In his opinion, in fact, the picture is very  complex, and has been complex for a long time, not since the time of  Jermuk.  

This does not mean at all . I do not  measure military-political processes by what would have  done, or what would have done, or what ,  Michel, etc., etc.> would have done, - he noted.

In the conditions of the actual absence of complete information  necessary for any theories and statements, Badalyan prefers to assess  the situation by considering political motives. In this vein,  according to the expert, the center of gravity has shifted, so to  speak, to the Euro-Atlantic pole, and Russia, due to a lack of  resources, as well as in connection with the Ukrainian campaign, did  not oppose the , making a transition to a policy of solving  minimal problems in the Caucasus. In his opinion, awareness of this  fact is important when considering the extent of responsibility of  external actors for the fate of Artsakh, in order to avoid focusing  exclusively on the Russian Federation, .

Absolutely. Nikol Pashinyan's responsibility as the Prime Minister of  Armenia is unwavering, regardless of who and what we consider  responsible>, - Badalyan noted, calling for self-deception and seeing  only in the processes at the global level, without trying to  understand what is happening around.

As the political scientist noted, the same was during the time of the  3rd President Serzh Sargsyan, when judgments on any external or  domestic political issues could be met with accusations on the topic,  .

Even then, due to the political subjectivity of Armenia, they ensured  the solution of their own domestic political problems.

The same today. Tomorrow will be the same, because instead of  understanding politics, the main task of various actors of the  Armenian socio-political organism, large and small, is to choose one  goal and turn this goal into political . As a  result, Armenia has turned into a political desert>, - summed up  Hakob Badalyan. Let us recall that on September 13-14, 2022,  Azerbaijan, using drones, missiles and artillery, attacked the  sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia in 5 directions, 2 of  which were in the Syunik region, 2 in Gegharkunik, and one in Vayots  Dzor. 

According to the Investigative Committee, as a result of Azerbaijan's  September aggression, 224 people were killed on the Armenian side,  including four civilians, at least 20 people were taken prisoner. At  least 7,600 people were evacuated from the Gegharkunik, Syunik and  Vayots Dzor regions. As a result of this enemy aggression, according  to experts, about 150 sq. km of the sovereign territories of the  Republic of Armenia are under the occupation of Azerbaijan. 

On December 12, 2022, Azerbaijan blocked the Lachin corridor, the  only road connecting Armenia with Artsakh, and on September 19, 2023,  it launched large-scale military operations against NK. On September  20, the NKR authorities agreed to disarm the NKR Defense Army and  negotiate. On September 24, the exodus of Armenians from  Nagorno-Karabakh (Republic of Artsakh) began, and on September 28,  NKR President Samvel Shahramanyan signed a decree on the termination  of the existence of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) from  January 1, 2024 and the dissolution of all state institutions. After  that, the Baku leader declared that the Artsakh issue was closed for  him.