Azerbaijan’s anti-terrorist operation earlier this week decisively ended the three-decade-long Karabakh Conflict that hitherto enabled foreign forces to divide-and-rule the South Caucasus. Armenia, its powerful diaspora lobby, and their online supporters are seething precisely because they hoped to indefinitely perpetuate that previously frozen conflict, but they’re now forced to accept this new reality. Far from the “genocide” that they fearmongered about, here’s what everyone can expect to happen:
———-
* Azerbaijan’s Internally Displaced People Can Finally Return To Their Homes
The over 1.2 million Azeris who were ethnically cleansed by Armenia’s occupying forces during the late 1980s and early 1990s can now finally return to the lands of their ancestors upon the restoration of Baku’s writ over Karabakh.
* Reconciliation, Not Revenge, Will Characterize The Returnees’ Attitudes Towards Local Armenians
The returning Azeris are willing to reconcile with those local Armenians who remain in Karabakh after agreeing to follow the national government’s laws instead of seeking revenge against them for the occupation since they know that acts of retribution would only sully their country’s reputation.
* Those Who Committed Violent Crimes Will Be Brought To Justice Though
No reconciliation is possible with those who have blood on their hands, which is why Azerbaijan reportedly passed along a list of war criminals and the like who they’re demanding to be turned over to face justice, and this presumably includes their extradition from Armenia if they already fled there.
* Armenia Must Pay Reparations For Its Illegal Three-Decade-Long Occupation Of Azerbaijan
On the topic of justice, it’s only right that Armenia pays reparations for its illegal three-decade-long occupation of Azerbaijan that resulted in the complete destruction of nearly one-fifth of the latter’s territory, absent which it’ll be extremely difficult and perhaps impossible to truly normalize their ties.
* It Also Needs To Fully Implement The Moscow-Mediated Ceasefire From November 2020
The restoration of bilateral relations will also require Armenia’s full implementation of the Moscow-mediated ceasefire from November 2020, particularly the last paragraph obligating it to unblock regional economic-transport links, including one with Nakhchivan that’ll be protected by Russian Border Guards.
* The Zangezur Corridor Is The Best Hope For Armenia’s Economic Future
The last-mentioned economic-transport link is known in Azerbaijan as the Zangezur Corridor, and it’s the best hope for Armenia’s economic future since it’ll able to profit from Azeri-Turkish trade along this route together with carving out its own value-added niche between them if it’s entrepreneurial enough.
* Russia Will Continue Encouraging Armenia To Reach A Peace Deal With Azerbaijan
President Putin confirmed in the latest call with his Azeri counterpart Ilham Aliyev that Russia will continue pushing for a formal peace in the region, and the official Kremlin press release specifically mentioned that Moscow wants the unblocking of regional transport links, i.e. the Zangezur Corridor.
———-
As can be seen, justice and development will follow the end of the Karabakh Conflict, not “genocide” like Armenia and its information warfare agents falsely fearmongered in order to justify American meddling. The South Caucasus can now consolidate into an independent geo-economic pole in the emerging world order, which Armenia would do well to integrate itself into without delay. To that end, it must extradite all war criminals, pay reparations, unblock the Zangezur Corridor, and make peace with Azerbaijan.
