Armenian analysts point to risks of mirror troop withdrawal

The initiative of mirror withdrawal of troops threatens the security of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh and is a hidden demarcation of border sections, Armenian analysts have stated.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on March 26, the Russian MoD accused Azeri militaries of violating the tripartite agreement on Nagorno-Karabakh. The MoD stated that on March 24 and 25, Azerbaijani militaries entered the responsibility zone of Russian peacemakers and shelled the units of the Karabakh Army from Turkish drones. On March 27, the Russian MoD reported that after the talks, Azerbaijan withdrew its military units from the territory near the Karabakh village of Furukh. However, Azerbaijan refuted this information.

Arman Tatoyan, a former Armenian Ombudsperson, said that the mirror withdrawal of troops proposed by the government is detrimental to the security of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. The events around the villages of Parukh and Khramort, and around the strategic height of Karaglukh, which followed the mirror withdrawal of troops in Nagorno-Karabakh, were confirmation of this concern, he has noted.

Mr Tatoyan believes that the idea of a mirror withdrawal of troops, which the authorities are injecting into public consciousness, is in the interests of Azerbaijan.

A retired officer of the Armenian Army, who preferred to stay anonymous, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that the mirror withdrawal of troops is a hidden process of demarcation and delimitation of certain sections of the border.

The source has explained that in the world practice, border demarcation and delimitation, as well as a mirror withdrawal of troops, are not undertaken without a comprehensive peace treaty. According to his version, the treaty assumes complex measures, which are preceded by the settlement of interrelations of the parties in conflict. "Now, nothing predisposes to this. Given the simmering conflict, there is no logic to carry out anything like that. It cannot be that in one sector they shoot at you, and in another one they withdraw troops. For example, an attempt to undertake a mirror withdrawal of troops in the area the Karaglukh height in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) has failed," the source has concluded.

He believes that in the current reality, the mirror withdrawal of troops threatens the country's security.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on April 2, 2022 at 03:21 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.