Azerbaijani journalist Agil Alesger spoke to us regarding the United States’ targeting of energy pipelines in Tovuz and the relations of Azerbaijan with Turkey and the rest of the world through the Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan. He also added that Moscow was quite disturbed by this situation.
Even after the clashes that began on July 12 when the Armenian army conducted an attack on Azerbaijani fortifications in the Tovuz region near the border and targeted civilians, tensions are still high along the border.
We discussed the tensions on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border and its causes with Azerbaijani journalist-writer Agil Alesger:
What can you tell us about the recent tensions on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border?
So far, there have been no reports of any conflict in the area today; there is a peaceful atmosphere. The Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan is also currently in a meeting with the Minsk Group. The day before, some conflicts occurred, and Azerbaijan suffered losses. The Azerbaijani Army neutralized an enemy barracks in return.
Of course, there is a great concern in the region. The Armenians are disturbing some of the villages and the civilian population in the Tovuz region and within the vicinity. They are attacking civilians instead of conducting military attacks. Armenia’s actual goal is to get the civilian population out to emigrate from the region, and to cause unrest within the country.
What is the importance of the Tovuz region? Why did Armenia attack there?
The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and Baku-Tbilisi-Kars pipelines which connect Azerbaijan to Europe and to Turkey pass through the Tovuz region. These are the most important energy pipelines that connect Azerbaijan with the outside world.
Tovuz is not inside the Karabakh territory. The reason for a disagreement between the two countries is usually the Karabakh region, but Tovuz is not actually a part of the disputed territories. In other words, Armenia is now targeting Azerbaijan directly. They target Azerbaijan’s well-established relations with the outside world. This is actually a declaration of war.
The situation has been evaluated differently by various experts. Some experts say the United States had provoked the incident, while others say that Russia had provoked it. What is your read on the situation?
The current Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan is implicitly working with the West. NATO officers are among the commanders of the Armenian Army. Pashinyan is holding a double-edged sword. Moscow is quite disturbed by this, and is not happy with the current situation, but has kept quiet. It would be really untrue to say that Russia is behind these incidents.
The US officers are currently walking freely within the Armenian army ranks. It can be said that Azerbaijan is being targeted for its relations with the outside world, and this was done to provoke an incident, damaging the Tovuz pipelines and causing unrest.
How do you evaluate Turkey’s role?
Turkey is with Azerbaijan no matter what. There is a strategic union between these two countries. The statements from the Turkish President, Mr. Akar and government officials were highly supported among the people of Azerbaijan, and celebrated among the public. We also know that these statements will not remain mere words and that Turkey will take action when necessary. We trust Turkey.
TENSIONS AT THE BORDER
On July 12, the Armenian army launched an attack on Azerbaijani fortifications in the Tovuz border region, withdrawing after the Azerbaijani army retaliated.
In these clashes, four military personnel from Azerbaijani Army, including one Senior Lieutenant, were killed and 4 more were wounded.
In the ongoing conflicts of the following days, 7 military personnel, including one Major General of the Azerbaijani Army, were killed.