As military experts know, withdrawing a contingent of nearly 2,000 personnel with standard equipment is not as simple as it might seem to laypeople.
This has been reiterated many times, but we will repeat: Azerbaijan has created a unique precedent in the post-Soviet space. Firstly, it has liberated its occupied territories and restored its territorial integrity. Equally important is the withdrawal of the Russian peacekeeping contingent—carried out calmly, without loud statements, political scandals, or what Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov referred to as “breaking pots.” The decision to withdraw the RPC was the result of agreements reached between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Russia—Ilham Aliyev and Vladimir Putin. This step not only did not “collapse” bilateral relations but is believed by experts to have a positive impact on the relationship between Baku and Moscow. This is partly because the activities of the peacekeepers often faced serious criticism from the Azerbaijani public, which understandably influenced the overall context of relations between Russia and Azerbaijan. Today, all these disputes, grievances, and tough questions are becoming a thing of the past. Most importantly, there is no longer the factor of military presence between Azerbaijan and Russia. The relations between the two countries are now entirely free of the military element.
This is very important for Azerbaijan. There should be no foreign military contingents on our territory—except perhaps for the small groups ensuring the security of foreign embassies. It is unnecessary to remind how important this circumstance is for strengthening real sovereignty and independence, for conducting a truly independent foreign policy, and for affirming Azerbaijan’s sovereignty over its entire territory, including the regions where the Russian peacekeeping mission was deployed in the fall of 2020. Today, the peacekeeping operation is concluding, and this fact does not hinder Azerbaijan and Russia from cooperating in numerous other areas, from the North-South transport corridor to agricultural product supplies and tourism.
At this point, we could probably conclude. Thank the peacekeepers, including for their behavior in the fall of 2023 during the anti-terrorist operations in Azerbaijan. We could say that the page of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict has been turned both in relations between Baku and Moscow. However, there remains one more aspect—the perpetual hysteria of the “media mafia” sponsored by certain Western circles, under slogans like “the peacekeepers will never leave, we have given Karabakh to Russia forever, now we have a Russian military base on our territory,” and so on.
Of course, everyone makes mistakes, but reactions vary. One could honestly admit: yes, we were wrong, and it turned out that President Ilham Aliyev’s famous phrase “I know what, when, and how to do it” was fully justified. But this is possible if there were forecasts and calculations, not theatrical hysterics with eye-rolling, hand-wringing, and foot-stomping.
But it is still interesting: how will these characters behave? Will they admit they were wrong? What will Sevinj Osmangyzy, who promised to say on air “Bravo, victorious Supreme Commander!” if the RPC is withdrawn from Azerbaijan, do?
It’s not up to us to decide. But we dare to assure you: this is not a case where silence is golden.
