ArmInfo. I personally regard the official appeal of Armenia to the CSTO in connection with the situation around Lake Sev Lich as an appeal to Russia itself. Director of the Caucasus Institute Alexander Iskandaryan expressed a similar opinion to ArmInfo.
On the morning of May 12, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces crossed the border in the area of Lake Sev Lich, advancing into the territory of Armenia up to 3.5 kilometers in order to establish control over the lake. In the evening of the same day, at a meeting of the Security Council of Armenia, acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan described what happened in Syunik region as a sabotage move. He also assessed this situation as at least close to a crisis. Yesterday, Yerevan officially applied for help to the CSTO in this regard.
"I think that no one in Yerevan expects that the rest of the CSTO countries will send their troops to Armenia. In general, the appeal to the CSTO is conditioned by the expectations of Moscow's measures to stabilize the situation on the border. Without a doubt, Moscow has opportunities for direct pressure on Baku. But it is also unambiguous that Russia will not use all its own instruments to achieve the expulsion of Azerbaijanis from Armenia. There will be only diplomacy, talks, negotiations, but there will be no hard pressure from Moscow on Baku, "he stressed.
Moreover, according to the political scientist, for Russia, by and large, it makes no difference whether the lake is under the control of Armenia or Azerbaijan. In this light, Iskandaryan emphasized that even the successful expulsion of the Azerbaijani military back home, which he doubts, will not change the general situation in the current relations between Yerevan and Baku.
And the question here, according to the political scientist, is not at all in the lake, which the Azerbaijanis, according to him, by the way, openly speak about. According to Iskandaryan's forecasts, there will be many more such situations. And all this will take place regardless of the solution to today's specific problem of Sev Lich. Although Azerbaijan may have local reasons for the seizure of this territory, for example, the water resources of the lake. This height may also be of strategic importance.
"All this, of course, can be so. But the main reason for Baku's actions is a change in attitudes toward the conflict around Artsakh, a change in attitudes toward Artsakh within Armenia itself. Listen to the statements of the Armenian leadership, politicians, journalists and it will become clear to you that we for a long time already we are not defending Artsakh, we are defending Syunik. Baku dictates the agenda inside Armenia - this is what it does! And we repeatedly involve in this agenda imposed on us. Another political goal of Baku is to maintain constant internal political instability and tension in Armenia. And I think that all this will continue in the future, "Iskandaryan summed up.