About border position and Armenian opposition

A couple of months after the Washington meeting, special envoy of the US President Steve Witkoff said that during negotiations in the Oval Office on August 8, the head of the White House, Donald Trump, asked President Ilham Aliyev: "Why did you stop? You had a victory, you have a large army." To which he replied: "I wanted to return what was taken from us. I don't need any more."

In Armenia, they should record these words of the Azerbaijani leader on their phones, keep them in front of them at all times and memorize them. To stop provocations and insinuations, to finally settle down in our country, which has received a chance for development, and not to try to create a situation in which Baku may change its mind.

Nothing that is happening in the world and in the region is capable of bringing the Armenian opposition to its senses. Global stability is bursting at the seams, and they are "talking about the sea again." And their fuss looks especially contrasting against the background of reasonable statements by the top leadership of Armenia, calling on the citizens of the country to "stand up for the established peace and make it irreversible."

Armenia's ex-ombudsman Arman Tatoyan has nothing better to do than count the square meters and centimeters allegedly occupied by the Azerbaijani side. It has been a year since the successful delimitation of the state border in the Gazakh direction, he has been incessantly talking about alleged threats, escalating the situation, and even complaining to Washington.

A few days ago, Tatoyan, who heads the so-called Wings of Unity initiative, called an urgent press conference in connection with the discovery (?) via satellite in Gegharkunik on the border with Kalbajar region of Azerbaijan, the new Azerbaijani position. Tatoyan tried to prove that Azerbaijan has advanced into the territory of Armenia and new positions are located there. Defense Minister Suren Papikyan denied this fake. But Tatoyan, when he has already accelerated, cannot be stopped. He is part of those circles that, as Nikol Pashinyan said the other day, "are not particularly happy about peace."

The organization with the poetic name "Wings of Unity" handed over to the Ministry of Defense the results of its "research", including satellite images and other materials. It is claimed that in July 2025, Azerbaijan's positions were still absent, and after the meeting in Washington, the construction of fortifications began, as a result of which the Zod gold deposit, a couple of villages and an interstate road were under the control of the Azerbaijani side. "We have satellite images," the members of the initiative repeat non-stop like children. The specialists worked, they claim, stamping their feet. Now let the defense department answer why it is misleading the public, when Sputnik and Tatoyan have proved everything...

Armenian revanchists are strange guys. They run around with pictures from Google and expect to prove something to someone. The tantrum, which is symptomatic, began in September last year. The opposition had to do something to counter the Washington meeting and prove that Pashinyan had signed the "sale of territories" in the United States. The RA Ministry of Defense has already commented on this issue. The Defense Ministry has clearly stated that there is no advance of the Azerbaijani positions on the territory of Armenia. Well, no, no - what's not clear?

The fact that Azerbaijan is strengthening existing fortifications and building new ones on its sovereign borders is its own business. These are completely legitimate actions. But Tatoyan is not even worried about square meters, but about the fact that from the new position the Azerbaijani side will be able to "control" significant territories of Armenia - strategic roads, some villages and, most importantly, the Armenian section of the Zod gold deposit. By "control," Tatoyan's office means that all these territories and facilities are within sight of the Azerbaijani border guards. So what? These are mountains - the positions located at heights in any case give a certain visual overview, including, by the way, to the Armenian border guards. But for some reason, the Azerbaijani side is not satisfied with tantrums because of this. Although we have every reason to do so, given the presence of revanchists and other hostile circles in Armenia, which pose a real threat to stability on the borders.

The opposition, menacingly moving its eyebrows, is waiting for an answer from the Ministry of Defense. "The countdown has started," the wings of unity sternly declare.

This is not the first time that the opposition has turned on the timer, demanding answers from the defense ministry, since the demarcation of one of the sections of the state border took place in May 2024. The revanchists still cannot accept the fact that four villages were returned to Azerbaijan.

It should be recalled that two years ago, the border between the settlements of Baganis (RA) - Baganis Hayrim (AR), Voskepar (RA) - Ashagi Askipara (AR), Kirants (RA) - Kheyrymli (AR) and Berkaber (RA) - Gyzylgajili (AR) was delimited. The delimitation and demarcation was carried out in accordance with the legally justified inter-republican border that existed within the Soviet Union at the time of its collapse. This event has already become a historical fact, and any attempts to revise it may cost the Armenian side a lot.

The delimitation has not yet been carried out at the site of the Zod mine. Last December, representatives of Armenia and Azerbaijan conducted a joint inspection of the mine's border area. The Azerbaijani side wanted to make sure that the neighbors were not carrying out any work at the field. The work is really not underway. But Azerbaijan needs information not for expansionist plans, but to ensure its rights and interests in this field. The fact that the positions of the Azerbaijani army make it possible to survey the Armenian section of the Zod, which, by the way, makes up only one third of the area of the deposit, does not threaten the Armenian side in any way. After the border is demarcated, Armenia will be able to safely continue to develop the mine. Only those who aim at Azerbaijan themselves will be targeted. As long as Yerevan pursues a reasonable policy, Armenia is safe.

As for interstate roads, Azerbaijan will not move the border for them. Lulled by the "successes" of the first war, Armenia needed to think before laying strategic highways near the occupation zone, and even through the occupied Azerbaijani villages.

Earlier, former Armenian Ombudsman Tatoyan called the delimitation "unacceptable and unacceptable by any international standards." I wonder what other standards exist for this process besides the return of borders to their legitimate course? Setting boundaries where there have never been any is one thing. Restoring pre-existing borders is a completely different situation. Here wishlist, interests and wishes do not play any role. The days when the wishes of Armenians were necessarily taken into account when defining borders are long gone. Now that half of the eight villages remaining under occupation have been returned, it is only a matter of time before the remaining four return. Tatoyan and Co. should stock up on valerian, because many more territories of Armenia will be in the visual review zone by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.

The hysteria of Tatoyan's "wings" and other revanchists can be understood. For many years, the Armenians have been disposing of the administrative border of the AzSSR at their discretion. Eight villages of Azerbaijan have become exclaves precisely for this reason, although the Armenian side is trying to deny it. After the Second Karabakh War, some "evidence" began to be extracted from naphthalene in Armenia. Some simply cry out for their lawlessness. At first, Pashinyan's team also tried to operate on them, but over time they realized that this only worsens Armenia's situation.

Particularly interesting facts surfaced in the Armenian media in connection with the same Zod gold deposit. The Armenians had their eyes on him for a long time, but before the conflict began, they only licked their lips, not knowing how to approach him. 75 percent of the field was located on the territory of the Azerbaijan SSR, and it was impossible to take it over entirely without Moscow's support. After Kalbajar's release in November 2020, environmentalist and journalist Galust Nanyan told the Yerevan Speaks TV channel the following: "In 1989, by a decision of the Council of Ministers of the Armenian SSR, the demarcation of the eastern border was carried out under the leadership of the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, Vladimir Movsisyan. Earlier, the territory of the entire mine was leased by the efforts of the head of the Communist Party of Armenia Karen Demirchyan, and based on the new demarcation, the mine was completely transferred to the Armenian SSR... There are all the documents, including the decision of the Council of Ministers, confirming the legal right of Yerevan in relation to the gold deposit near the village of Sotk (Zod)."

The fact is amazing. Just imagine - the Armenian leadership, under Gorbachev's wing, calmly pushed back the border of the neighboring republic and "squeezed" the largest gold deposit in the Caucasus from Azerbaijan. On the eve of the already planned military occupation, the Armenians staked out this gold mine for themselves. Perhaps they were the only ones who considered Zod their property, but have such small things ever stopped our neighbors?

It is not surprising that Arman Tatoyan is so concerned and claims that the positions of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces in the field area are located on "Armenian territory." There is no doubt that this incompetent jurist also believes that the arbitrariness of the Armenian leadership had a legal basis, and the decision of the Council of Ministers of the Armenian SSR had some significance for the configuration of the administrative borders between the two Union republics. In fact, the decision of the Armenian Council of Ministers was insignificant both from the point of view of international law, and within the framework of Soviet and Armenian legislation itself.

Tatoyan tears off his vest, shouting about shooting positions, roads for transporting weapons and other communications at the positions of the Azerbaijani army. Did he expect to see balloons and flags with hearts there?

That's not what he's thinking, that's not what he's thinking. Returning once again to the Azerbaijani leader's answer to Trump's question, we note that according to the laws of war, by the right of the victor and in revenge for the evil done by the neighbors, Armenia's borders could pass west of Sevan today. Tatoyan and others should thank Baku that this did not happen.