Korotchenko: Necessary to increase political pressure on Yerevan

“I visited Azerbaijan’s Aghdam and Fuzuli districts. Kilometers of minefields shock the imagination. Literally, everything is mined. Of course, today this is the main problem, without which it is impossible to return refugees to the liberated regions, resume agricultural work, build new villages or restore cities. I think in this regard it is necessary to increase political pressure on Yerevan,” military expert, editor-in-chief of the National Defense magazine Igor Korotchenko told the Russian bureau of Report.

The expert noted that recently there have been frequent reports about Azerbaijani civilians blown up by Armenian mines, and this problem is already acquiring an international scale.

“It is necessary to raise the issue in the UN Security Council, to adopt a special resolution to force Armenia to hand over a map of minefields to Azerbaijan. Without this there is a huge risk for all people, by the way, for the Russian peacekeepers as well. Therefore, it is necessary to solve this problem through joint efforts.”

Korotchenko believes that in exchange for the maps, the Armenians are waiting for some concessions: “Armenia is trying to make the issue of transferring the maps of minefields a subject of bargaining, politicizing it. To be honest, it looks very unworthy. Armenians have maps. They don’t pass them on deliberately.”

The expert also stressed that the presence of Armenian service members on the territory of Karabakh is a violation of the statement dated Nov. 10, which clearly states that they must leave the territory of Azerbaijan: “Today, the Armenians are illegally trying to send servicemen there, grossly violating the agreements. In this case, Armenia's actions go contrary to the positions of both Russia and Azerbaijan. It is not clear what they are trying to achieve. Having suffered a military defeat, Armenia must recognize the existing realities, focus on the peaceful reconstruction of its country. Azerbaijan is a secular responsible state capable of fully ensuring the security of the Armenian population living on the territory of Karabakh.”