Incident in Syunik Region shows vulnerability of Armenian borders

Azerbaijan takes advantage of the Armenian party's passivity and is making attempts to gain a foothold in more advantageous positions, the analysts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 12, two vice-mayors of the city of Goris reported that Azerbaijani militaries had advanced three kilometres deep into the Syunik Region of Armenia. The country's foreign minister has accused the Azerbaijani militaries of committing a provocation and informed Russian authorities about the incident.

Azerbaijani military units have moved forward, intending to gain a foothold in new positions, said Aik Khachikyan, a military analyst. He has noted that the actions of the Azerbaijani party were expected, and similar incidents, in his opinion, would be repeated.

Naira Airumyan, a political observer, believes that the seriousness of the incident in Syunik can be judged by the telephone talks of foreign ministers; and then – of the heads of the ministries of defence (MoDs) of Armenia and Russia.

"The whole story proves only one thing – authorities and the army have admitted the openness of some sections of Armenian borders. But the telephone calls to Moscow mean that Russian forces were supposed to be in charge of guarding the borders. Armenia has ceded a part of its sovereignty in order to ensure the defence of its southern borders. Russia is either unable to guarantee this, or it is on the Azerbaijani side," Ms Airumyan has stressed.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 13, 2021 at 04:03 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.