Baku is committed to the peace and confidence-building process with Yerevan. Not only in words but also in deeds. The obligations reflected in the Joint Declaration signed last year on August 8 at the White House by President Ilham Aliyev, his counterpart Donald Trump, and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
However, the unilateral gestures made to Armenia should never be seen as a sign of Azerbaijan’s weakness; on the contrary, they should be accepted as a manifestation of superiority and greatness as the victorious and strong party. This is another fact.
Today, the next batch of petroleum products was exported to Armenia. Another 22 wagons (1298 tons) of diesel fuel were sent to the neighboring country. Only 3 days ago – on April 11 – 887 tons of diesel fuel were dispatched from Baku to Armenia. In total, so far, 6312 tons of diesel, 979 tons of AI-92 gasoline, and 2955 tons of AI-95 gasoline have been exported from Azerbaijan to Armenia. Also, today, another shipment from Russia to Armenia via Azerbaijan was made: 240 tons of fertilizer were sent from Bilecik station towards Büyük Kesik...
If Armenia continues to buy our products, it means they have needs. According to information, Azerbaijan’s high-quality petroleum products have also led to cheaper fuel prices in the neighboring country due to lower transit costs.
Of course, along with these strategically important products, Baku also sends a political message to the Armenian people. It tries to convey the value and superiority of living in peace and tranquility, within a profitable economic and trade cooperation. It endeavors and hopes that the Armenian public opinion will internalize how dangerous and meaningless it is to live with absurd claims and myths. Why?
Because even before the USSR collapsed, Armenia and Armenians were recognized as the main hotbed of discord in the South Caucasus. The bitter result is evident: they wished a lot, but received little and had to take refuge in the 29.7 thousand sq km Armenia. They were excluded from the oil-gas and railway arteries passing through the region.
Thus, hostility with Azerbaijan and Turkey led them to vassal dependence on Russia. They had to settle for symbolic statehood. Even that remains questionable. If the old and lofty claims continue at the levels of government and society, symbolic Armenia will also be erased from the world map. Whether this will happen will be known after the June 7 elections and the constitutional referendum planned to follow...
This is the key message coming from Baku. The upcoming critical elections are undoubtedly of historic importance as this message-warning. Because the Armenian community’s limit for making mistakes has run out. What is far more important for Azerbaijan than importing any product from Armenia is this! Otherwise, they will neither see cheap Baku gasoline again, nor our other products. Azerbaijan can close the transit route at any time if the Armenian electorate drops Pashinyan and appoints as prime minister some representative of the "war party," a revanchist loyal to Russia in the top ten.
In this regard, most likely there will be a special appeal-warning from official Baku or the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry to the Armenian people about the June 7 elections. Naturally, to facilitate the Armenian voter to carefully weigh the options one last time and think twice to make the only correct decision. The main "product," the result we expect from the neighboring country and its society is this – CONTINUATION with Pashinyan...
Zahid SAFAROV