Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who became a staunch supporter of Armenia after resigning from the post of NATO Secretary General in 2014, and who played with all the airs of the Armenians, came to the fore with his next stupid statements against Azerbaijan. It is no secret that the former Secretary General, who praised Azerbaijan during his tenure as NATO Secretary General, began his insidious activities by taking refuge under the patronage of the Armenian lobby after leaving office.
Thus, Rasmussen’s statements against Azerbaijan largely reflect the main expectations of Armenia’s military and political leadership. In his latest theses, Rasmussen demanded that the leaders participating in COP29 put pressure on Azerbaijan regarding the peace treaty with Armenia. This requirement alone shows how biased and impartial he is. Because, according to Rasmussen’s position, it seems that Armenia wants peace, while Azerbaijan rejects this process. However, the reality is completely opposite. Let us recall, for example, that in March 2022 the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs presented to the Armenian side the main principles of the five-point peace agreement. If Armenia accepts Azerbaijan’s proposals, it will be able to contribute to the development of peace and stability in the region. This situation is a model where conflict is replaced by healthy competition and cooperation. However, Armenia continues to violate the peace process by avoiding Azerbaijan’s proposals.
On the other hand, Rasmussen went a bit further and presented Karabakh as a disputed territory and called the departure of Armenians from Azerbaijan as “relocation of people.” Of course, this approach is also biased. Because if Karabakh is accepted as an integral part of Azerbaijan by international law and Armenians have left our territories voluntarily, what resettlement and disputed territory can we talk about? Moreover, discussing these issues is a direct interference in Azerbaijan’s internal affairs. Thus, our conclusion is that Rasmussen, despite being the Secretary General of NATO, either does not know international law, or the bribe he received from the Armenian lobby has blinded him and he cannot see the truth.
In addition, Rasmussen suggested that political, economic and defense assistance to Armenia should be further strengthened through the European Peace Facility, that other countries should follow France’s example and provide military assistance to Armenia, and that the EU’s monitoring mission should be strengthened. However, everyone knows that France’s goal in arming Armenia is to increase the chances of external intervention in the region by creating a new escalation.
About the topic Oku.Azpolitical scientist who interviewed Javid Valiyev He said that making such statements at this time serves to violate the successful COP29 policy implemented by Azerbaijan. That is, the author is trying to draw attention in a completely different direction using this topic:
– Preparing to host COP29, Azerbaijan is genuinely interested in the fate of the world and presents itself as a state that plays a role in solving problems. This is a situation that undermines the image that Armenia and its supporters are trying to create about Azerbaijan in the international world. Azerbaijan logically puts forward the proposal that if we want lasting peace, there should be no articles containing territorial claims in the Armenian constitution. Because such elements always mean a new war. When Azerbaijan says this, it becomes clear that Armenia is in breach of its obligations and is not adequate. Everyone knows that the culprit of this conflict is Armenia. Supporters of Armenia make such statements in order to shift the agenda in favor of Armenia and not make it appear guilty in the international world.
– It is no secret that whenever peace talks were on the agenda, Armenia, directly or indirectly, resorted to sabotage in word and deed and prevented the processes from moving in a positive direction. Moreover, Azerbaijani leaders invited Armenia to participate in COP29, proving that it is on the side of peace and stability in the normalization of relations. Could the issue we are talking about be one of these situations? In other words, has official Yerevan now mobilized Rasmussen to prevent peace and tarnish Azerbaijan’s image?
– In addition to sending an official invitation to Armenia to participate in COP29, Azerbaijan also invited it to conclude a framework agreement. However, Armenia did not respond positively to Azerbaijan’s invitation to participate in COP29, nor to the proposal for a framework agreement. Since Armenia sees that all arrows point to it as the culprit of this process, it takes such measures to deflect its responsibility.
– At this point it becomes clear that Armenia will not take a positive step in the peace negotiations and will not adequately respond to Azerbaijan’s proposals. We can even witness the new provocations of this country against the background of its supporters arming it with assault weapons…
– Armenia can always resort to provocation. Unfortunately, both the 30-year period of occupation and the period until 2020 and 2023 showed that Armenia is not going to take serious steps to achieve peace. On the contrary, it always tries to disrupt the process, manipulate and act opportunistically. After that, Armenia is expected to take similar steps.
– So, it is not excluded that Armenia will experience new unrest in the region, taking refuge under the protection of the West?
– With the support of France, Armenia is trying to attract the West, all the states of the European Union, to its side. It wants to unite Azerbaijan and the West. For this reason, it constantly engages in provocations. Therefore, it is not excluded that the Armenian leadership will continue these provocations.
– According to Rasmussen’s thesis, the European Union should put pressure on Azerbaijan, the fate of the Karabakh Armenians should not be left off the agenda, Armenia should be presented as an attacked country and military and political aid should be provided to this country through the European Peace Fund. It is as if Western institutions are deliberately creating the basis for their nefarious plans by trotting out these theses from someone’s mouth…
– Of course, there are forces against Azerbaijan in the West. This has always been the case. They are under the influence of the Armenian diaspora, they are Christian fanatics and they are concerned about the fact that Azerbaijan is a Turkish state and its influence is increasing. Therefore, in one way or another they constantly target Azerbaijan. There are many opportunities to do so in this period as well.
– What should Azerbaijan do in the midst of all this?
– Every success we have in foreign policy is a failure of the anti-Azerbaijani forces. They perceive it as such. When we achieve success in our foreign policy, we do not aim to condemn anyone, our main goal is to increase the number of friends and decrease the number of enemies. For this reason, COP29 to be held in Azerbaijan will be a heavy blow to them. Secondly, our position is fair in the process of normalization with Armenia. Because we want lasting peace. Therefore, in this matter, our demands to change the Armenian Constitution are justified, appropriate and true. We must continue this position. In this regard, Azerbaijan strengthens and will strengthen alliance and partnership relations with friendly countries. We will continue our activities in this direction and become even stronger.
Merahim Nasib
