United World International expert Mehmet Perinçek gave an interview to Azerbaijani news outlet caliber.az on the recent clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Below we present the interview as published by caliber.az, the original text can be read here. Subtitles were set by UWI.
The recent provocations perpetrated by Armenia on the Azerbaijani border are connected with the fact that the West is trying to destabilize the situation in the South Caucasus region.
This opinion was expressed by the famous Turkish historian and political scientist Mehmet Perinçek in an interview with the journalist Caliber.Az.
According to Perinçek, Western actors are trying to prevent the normalization of relations between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey.
“The West will try to hinder a lasting peace in the South Caucasus”
“The fact is that the restoration of a lasting peace in the South Caucasus can lead to the failure of the West’s plans, so they will try to hinder the stability of the region by any means. It is obvious that the West has chosen Armenian revenge-seekers as a political tool; therefore, provocations will continue as long as Armenia plays the role of a Western puppet,” Perinçek said.
He believes that the recent provocation of Armenians at the border has shown that Armenia is not ready to normalize relations with its neighbors in the region.
“It seems that Armenia did not learn the necessary lessons from last year’s defeat in Karabakh, and this is its delusion. Yerevan’s illusions of revenge are groundless and lead Armenia to final failure, and due to endless glances towards the West, it risks finally losing the trust of its closest ally – Russia.
During the 44-day war, the Armenians left the battlefield in panic, they were not ready to fight and die for foreign lands. Over the past 20 years, the Armenian army has significantly weakened, and the war in Karabakh completely destroyed the long-term myth of the Armenians about a ‘strong’ army. In reality, there has long been a high level of desertion, hazing and complete chaos. And what all this led to, we saw in last year’s war in Karabakh.
I believe several important factors predetermined the outcome of the Karabakh war in 2020.
First, Azerbaijan waged a just war, and the main motivation for the hostilities was that international law was on the side of Baku.
Secondly, Azerbaijan has been strengthening its army and economy for many years, and the Armenian side had to take this fact into account even after the April 2016 war, during which the Azerbaijani army showed the effectiveness of their training.
Thirdly, the victory of Azerbaijan was accompanied, among other things, by a favorable situation in the international arena. The Atlantic powers represented by France and the United States, which have traditionally supported Armenia, lost their previous dominance around the world, which made it possible for Azerbaijan to resolve this issue without the intervention of global Western players. And as a result of all these factors, the wise foreign policy of official Baku contributed to the fact that Azerbaijan won an unambiguous and unconditional victory in this war. Of course, such a turn of events was not expected in the West. That is why now certain Western forces are trying to sway the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border again.
Turkey has always supported Azerbaijan in the issue of territorial integrity and will continue to do so in the future. Ankara provided Baku with a large amount of military equipment. Everyone knows the role of Turkish drones in the war. Turkey also provided diplomatic support to Azerbaijan, strengthening partnerships with Russia and Iran. I believe that cooperation between Ankara and Moscow, as well as between Tehran and Ankara, paved the way for victory in Azerbaijan’s liberation war,” the Turkish expert said.
As for the prospects for the settlement of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, according to the Turkish political scientist, the negotiation process is impeded by the Armenian side, since they showed unwillingness to sign a peace agreement with Azerbaijan, which, according to insider information from a number of media outlets, was scheduled for early November during a trilateral summit with the participation of Russia.
“Yerevan should realize that normalization with Azerbaijan is the way out of its economic crisis”
“Yerevan should realize that the normalization of relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey will give it an opportunity to get out of the economic crisis, solve a number of social and humanitarian problems, and join regional projects. Otherwise, Yerevan’s torpedoing of the peace agreement will lead to the final collapse of Armenian statehood. Peace with Azerbaijan will lead to the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border, which will give Armenia new opportunities in trade and economy. But for this, Armenia must recognize the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and Turkey, forgetting about claims to foreign lands, as well as abandon the obsession with the ‘Armenian genocide’, which has been used for 100 years as an international political instrument,” Perinçek summed up.