TRIPP and Armenian "equality": revanchists have forgotten who owes whom

The main mistake of many in Armenia is that when they talk about the peace process, they do not take into account the background of relations with Azerbaijan and pretend that the problems between the two countries are only six years old. This leads to certain misconceptions about certain equal rights of the parties in the peace process.

Even some representatives of the ruling circles are guilty of this. The opposition lives and breathes these fantasies.

For revanchists, the Karabakh conflict definitely began in September 2020, but what happened over the past thirty-five years is just a mirage that will dissipate if you turn away. Based on this, the revanchists make claims, file lawsuits, and demand equality and guarantees from the Azerbaijani side. Azerbaijan, it turns out, has to give Armenia guarantees and take responsibility in the peace process, and the Armenians will decide how much it suits their interests.

All this is due to the fact that Baku's good intentions were misunderstood. Like a weakness. Azerbaijan's unilateral initiatives in the same transport sector are seen as a forced measure under pressure from the powers. A country accustomed to acting on orders does not imagine that it could be otherwise.

Since the very beginning of the launch of the topic of the Zangezur corridor, the Armenian position has not ceased to amaze. Six years ago, any other state in Azerbaijan's place would have penetrated this corridor with military force, while Baku offered Yerevan a partnership in international transit. And this is after all that the Azerbaijani people have suffered at the hands of Armenian separatists and nationalists, after thirty years of occupation. Instead of gratitude, this step was taken for granted. And now the opposition in the Armenian parliament demands that Azerbaijan assume political responsibility for unblocking communications. The fact that cargo transit has been open for Armenia for almost a year and that Azerbaijani fuel is being shipped there at below-market prices is not accepted as such guarantees.

MP from Kocharyan's Armenia faction Artur Khachatryan explained what Azerbaijan and Turkey need to do in order to earn the trust of Armenians. The government is talking about restoring the Sadarak-Yeraskh and Akhurik-Kars border sections, as well as the Ijevan-Gazakh route, and Pashinyan is turning inside out to achieve the implementation of these projects. The revanchist believes that before starting the construction of roads, it is necessary to wait for Azerbaijan to assume any political obligations.

It is not very clear what obligations the Armenian oppositionist is talking about. The Armenian government wants to implement its "crossroads of the world", an internal Armenian project that does not interest the Azerbaijani side. The only communication in Armenia that Azerbaijan is interested in is TRIPP. He doesn't need the Ijevan road. The two sections towards the Armenian border with Turkey also do not concern us at all apart from the topic of the corridor through Meghri. The road through Meghri is the only object of Baku's interest, everything else is needed only by Armenia itself.

Khachatryan wants to create a feeling among Armenians that Pashinyan is seeking to open the above-mentioned communications for the sake of his neighbors and does not demand anything in return. According to him, there is no principle of equal partnership between the parties. He considers the principle of "road for road" to be an equal partnership, not "advantages for advantages". In other words, if Armenia opens one road, Azerbaijan must commit itself to doing the same on its territory, including unhindered transit. 

The limitations of revanchist thinking make it difficult to see that there are no unknowns in the regional formula. In the case of TRIPP, transit will be carried out between two parts of the same state - Azerbaijan. And this is not at all the same as transiting a neighbor's cargo to a third country. In this case, other mechanisms are at work, this is a completely different situation. The same applies to claims regarding the lack of exports from Armenia through communications opened by Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan does not use Armenia's territory to export its goods to other countries, it transits goods to Armenia and delivers its own petroleum products at low prices. This is a very big difference and a huge concession.

The Armenian opposition is very fond of counting and calculating - who owes whom how much, who has done push-ups, and so on. Here are some figures: after the opening of the 43-kilometer-long road through Meghri, Armenia will have access to the Agbend-Goradiz-Baku railway with a length of more than 500 kilometers. We are not talking about direct rail access to the North, access to the sea and the possibility of using Azerbaijani ports for export of goods by partners to Central Asia and China. If we proceed from the principle of "road for road", the exchange turns out to be very unequal. After all, Armenia will get a lot of opportunities and exits in exchange for some 43 kilometers of rail with sleepers. Moreover, Azerbaijan is the only railway outlet to the East and North for her, but Baku can also contact Nakhchivan through Iran.

Maybe Khachatryan meant that if an Azerbaijani train travels 43 kilometers without inspection from one part of Azerbaijan to another, Armenian trains heading to third countries should have the right (in the interests of "equality") to wind up hundreds of kilometers across the territory of our country uncontrollably?.. It's lovely.

Kocharyan's colleague, apparently, loves equality very much. When the fate of the exclaves of Azerbaijan was being decided in the spring of 2024, Khachatryan also pounded his fist on the rostrum of the parliament, demanding "mirroring". Namely, not to return anything to Azerbaijan until it gets out of there and from here. The revanchists saw "occupation" everywhere, It was unilateral concessions, capitulation!  Khachatryan shouted.

It should be recalled that at the end of May 2024, the territories of the villages of Baganys Hayrim, Ashagi Askipara, Kheyrimli and Gyzylgajili of Gazakh region were taken under the control of the State Border Guard Service of Azerbaijan. This was not an "unequal concession," it was the fulfillment (albeit forced) by Armenia of its obligations.

Azerbaijan owes nothing to Armenia, and Armenia owes Azerbaijan. But Baku is in no hurry to present a bill to Yerevan in anticipation of those very political guarantees and fulfillment of obligations. Armenia owes a lot, so there can be no equality in the relations between the two countries. The Azerbaijani side is already trying not to humiliate the former aggressor and allows him to feel like a part of a big regional game and receive preferences. The main thing is that the neighbor does not forget where his place is, and knows how to be grateful.

Even during the years of the Armenian "victories" Armenia was not equal to Azerbaijan. It was an independent, rapidly developing State, consolidating its place in the international arena. And she's just a pathetic occupier.

No matter how hard you try, you won't be able to deduce a common denominator.