By Mariam Levina

The Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) society is waiting for answers from its own authorities, Moscow, Yerevan, and the West. This was stated by David Babayan, adviser and representative-at large of the Artsakh president, commenting—at the request of Armenian News-NEWS.am—on the strange video disseminated in the Azerbaijani press, showing a group of Artsakh residents crossing the checkpoint illegally installed by Azerbaijan in the Berdzor (Lachin) corridor.

"What happened is, on the one hand, an outrageous incident, an example of Armenophobia, and on the other hand, to some extent, a roadmap, an indicator of their [i.e., the Azerbaijanis’] intentions. The checkpoint is meant to turn into an arrest point, an intimidation point, an extortion point, a kidnapping point in a short time. We know what it is. We saw it when the Azerbaijani OMON [i.e. special police unit] were at the [Artsakh capital] Stepanakert airport in 1991, and the fact that they show as if how good they are, inspect [people], let [them] go, is nothing but a black PR before the real action.

"This is very similar to how Hitler organized tours of some concentration camps for the Red Cross. After that, the representatives of the Red Cross—by the way, the organization is still unable to clean up that shame—had written that there are very good conditions there. That is, what Azerbaijan is actually doing by filming those commercial videos is showing the representatives of the international community who are waiting for such videos that Azerbaijan is not so bad, thus these representatives of the international community are trying to justify their passivity and inaction.

“Secondly, this is aimed at the representatives of the Armenian society, the part that does not like the people of Artsakh, that wants to justify that it does not like, that ‘you see, everything is fine.’ Once upon a time, the same PR campaigns were held at Turkey’s airports. And some may even think that Azerbaijanis are quite good, educated people. And what will happen next, some don't want to hear or even think. But we are obligated to think about it, we feel it directly on us. And very soon the masks will be torn off, and the [aforesaid Azerbaijani] checkpoint will become what it was created for: a point of intimidation. That is why the Artsakh society is waiting for answers. First of all, from their own authorities. Secondly, we should talk very seriously with Moscow, brotherly, but sincere and tough. Let's talk with Yerevan, let's bring clarity, and of course let's talk with the West because we must understand: let them officially declare that they are ready to hand over the democratic state [of Artsakh] to the devouring by the totalitarian regime [of Azerbaijan]. If they are not ready [for that], they should take appropriate steps.

"Moscow acts as a guarantor in this matter first of all, expressing itself in the words of Lenin about the peace [Treaty] of Brest[-Litovsk], this shameless treaty of the 20th century. Let them give us an answer, we are waiting," David Babayan concluded.