Armenia's provocations became one of the key factors that led to the Patriotic War - OPINION

"Armenia's territorial claims against Azerbaijan continued over many long years. Keeping Azerbaijani lands under occupation, committing grave crimes against our people, and pursuing an occupation policy were made possible with the support of certain forces. Armenia, violating the principles of international law, used military force to seize Azerbaijani territories. However, it was obvious that all of this could not have been carried out by Armenia alone. Behind this policy stood the support of various external forces."

This was reported by BAKU.WS citing Doctor of Philosophy in Political Sciences, political analyst Shabnam Hasanova.

According to her, Armenia, interested in preserving the status quo formed as a result of the occupation, repeatedly tried to use the negotiation process as a tool to buy time:

"The President of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, clearly recognizing this reality, ensured the implementation of four UN Security Council resolutions. One of the most important achievements of Azerbaijani diplomacy was also the de facto termination of the activities of the OSCE Minsk Group, which had been operating for many years.

After Nikol Pashinyan came to power, the situation in the negotiation process became even more complicated. His statement 'Karabakh is Armenia, period' openly demonstrated Yerevan's position. In response, the President of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, with his statement 'Karabakh is Azerbaijan, and exclamation mark!' conveyed Azerbaijan's resolute and unwavering position to the international community.

The approach put forward by Armenia — 'new war — new territories' — led to an even greater escalation of the situation. Following this, Armenia's provocative actions continued. The resettlement of people of Armenian origin from the Middle East to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan was also carried out as an integral part of this policy.

Military provocations in the Tovuz direction became another manifestation of Armenia's destructive policy. After the Tovuz battles, Armenia's presentation of unacceptable conditions to Azerbaijan further inflamed the situation. All these processes intensified the already growing discontent in Azerbaijani society. As a result, in response to yet another military provocation by Armenia, on September 27, 2020, the Patriotic War began, which ended in 44 days with Azerbaijan's historic victory."

The political expert added that even after the war, Armenia continued to violate the provisions of the trilateral statement in various ways:

"Damaging the flora and fauna while withdrawing from the occupied territories, delaying the implementation of agreements on unhindered communication between the mainland