Zatulin on the provocation of Azerbaijan on the Armenian borders: the  status quo must be restored

ArmInfo. It's not about the number of Russian troops on the territory of Armenia, but the very fact of their presence, so to speak, the demonstration of the flag. 

This was stated during an online press conference by the lawmaker of  the State Duma of Russia, the first deputy chairman of the Committee  for CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots,  Head of the Institute of CIS Countries Konstantin Zatulin, referring  to the expediency of additional fortifications in the Syunik region  of the Republic of Armenia by the Russian Federation.

In this vein, he stated that Russia's capabilities are not limited to  the quantitative composition of the Russian Armed Forces currently in  Armenia. "I think everyone in the world understands that the very  presence of Russia in Armenia on the basis of the agreement on the  deployment of the 102nd base, the presence of the Russian  peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh means that the Russian  Federation is closely following the situation and in this sense is  the guarantor of the security of the Republic of Armenia, like all  other members of the CSTO, "the Russian lawmaker noted.

At the same time, commenting on the situation on the borders of  Armenia in connection with the actions of the Armed Forces of  Azerbaijan, Zatulin noted that the very possibility of penetration of  the Azerbaijani military into the depths of the Republic of Armenia  for some distance arose precisely because their own border troops  were not on the border line, but were in depth of the territory.  According to him, in this way they gave the Armed Forces of  Azerbaijan a physical opportunity to overcome this distance.   Referring to the RA appeal to the CSTO, Zatulin noted that the  Armenian side applied on Clause 2 of the organization's charter,  which envisages provision of advisory assistance and which is  provided. He recalled that the Government of Armenia applied  specifically for consultation to the CSTO, and not on the item, which  presupposes the repulsion of military aggression.

"That is, not Russia, but already the CSTO strictly fulfills the  obligation at the request of Armenia. My personal opinion is that  after losing the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, it is clear that great  efforts are required to restore the defense capability, the fighting  spirit not only of the Armenian army, but Armenia as a whole, in that  it is capable of ensuring its own security by its own forces.

But this in no way justifies the provocation, and I consider it a  provocation to move deep into Armenia from Azerbaijan, which seizes  the moment and uses the situation to gain some advantages, to bargain  for something and get something else. This is a completely  transparent situation that needs to be diagnosed.  The status quo  must be restored, "the Russian parliamentarian said.

At the same time, the Russian politician found it difficult to answer  the question of the expediency of carrying out delimitation and  demarcation of the border between the countries today, stating that  this requires a complete understanding of the situation. At the same  time, he expressed his conviction that today any serious decisions  that Armenia should make, including regarding the border, will always  be considered very closely and critically within the RA. According to  Zatulin, this is due to the fact that the political situation in  Armenia, set by the early parliamentary elections and the severity of  the struggle on the eve of these elections, does not give an  opportunity to seriously, objectively and impartially consider what  is happening.

"This is also due to the fact that a significant part of society has  no trust in the Armenian government," Zatulin summed up.