The issue of disbanding the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Defense Army (DA) is again being pushed to the top agenda. But if previously it was being done at the initiative of Azerbaijan and it was being presented as a demand/threat, now it is being intensified and discusses both by Armenia and, surprisingly, by Artsakh authorities’ circles. Tigran Abrahamyan, an opposition member of Armenia’s parliament and a security expert, wrote this on Facebook.

"No matter how much the reduction of the DA—not important whether complete or partial—is presented in the context of international guarantees or the possible expansion of the composition of the Russian peacekeeping contingent stationed in Artsakh, it is IMPERMISSIBLE.

The first issue here is that the authorities of Armenia have made the topic a matter of discussion on the agenda—and more specifically, of bargaining—, and it is also being presented as agreed with Artsakh.

Secondly, I can't imagine what else should happen to Artsakh so that they realize on the spot that the purpose of this particular process is to remove the last retaining wall of support for Artsakh—in the truest sense of the word.

Azerbaijan is in a hurry on this matter to eliminate the most important institution of resistance before the end of the 5-year term of the peacekeepers, in which case there will be no resources to negotiate or fight.

I'm not talking about the fact that after the 44-day war [in 2020], we have seen how international guarantees and the presence of peacekeepers have been trampled upon and new territories of Artsakh have been occupied [by Azerbaijan]," Abrahamyan added.