#( conversations: ceyhan. )

[writinghomericbard]

Let's Talk: Pyramus and Thisbe!

Let's talk about some doomed lovers, shall we? If you're interested in reading my short story accompanying this breakdown, go here!

BASIC PLOT:

The myth of Thisbe and Pyramus tells the story of two ill-fated youths from Babylon. They are forced, due to the rivalry between their families, to converse in secret through a crack in a shared wall between their houses. Desperate to be together, the lovers secretly make plans to escape the city, swearing to meet at the Tomb of Ninus before fleeing together. When Pyramus arrives at the tomb, he finds Thisbe missing, with only her bloody veil remaining. Believing her slain by a wild beast, Pyramus takes his own life with his sword. Thisbe was not killed, however; she had arrived earlier to find a lion drenched in the blood of its prey, and had run off to hide in a nearby cave. She returns to find her beloved Pyramus slain and (after some monologuing about love lost and the bitter rivalry between their families), uses the sword to slay herself in turn.

MYTHOLOGY/VERSIONS:

The earliest written account of the myth of Pyramus and Thisbe, and the place where I read it, was in Ovid’s Metamorphoses (8 AD), specifically Book 4. It’s believed to be older than that, however, with the story likely originating from the Cilicia region! In Ovid’s version of the myth, Pyramus and Thisbe’s blood is responsible for dyeing the fruit of the mulberry tree red, and after their deaths, they are cremated and held in a shared urn. In older tellings, however, it is said that upon his death, Pyramus changed by the will of the gods into the Anatolian Ceyhan River, which the Greeks called the Pyramus River, while Thisbe was transformed into a spring.

FACTS:

-Shakespeare drew inspiration from the myth of Pyramus and Thisbe several times. It is referred to within A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and also served as one of the main inspirations for Romeo and Juliet, mainly with the lovers from both stories sharing rival families and tragic ends. 

-The myth is depicted in some pretty beautiful works of art, including but not limited too: Thisbe/The Listener (John William Waterhouse, 1909), Pyramus and Thisbe (Abraham Hondius, 1660-75), and Landscape with Pyramus and Thisbe (Jasper van der Laanen, c 1615). 

-The lovers are also depicted within a fresco in the House of Loreius Tiburtinus, located in Pompeii!

WRITING TALK: 

The exact reason for the rivalry between the families of Thisbe and Pyramus is unknown, so while writing, I decided to kinda lean into this. Knowing that both of them came from nobility, I tried to make them opposites of each other, with Pyramus’ father serving as a scribe and Thisbe’s father serving more as a military man. Both having their roles in nobility, but on opposite ends yk, which I then kinda tried to carry down to Thisbe and Pyramus with Pyramus being a little more poetic in nature and Thisbe a little more real.

Originally, I was going to lean more into a dual POV sort of angle, but seeing as Pyramus couldn’t see Thisbe, I decided to stick sort of to his view only, at least until his death, during which we briefly switch to her. The logic kinda was if Pyramus can’t see his girl, we can’t either 😔

Thisbe’s hair being described as “dark malted barley” came mostly from the fact that Ancient Babylonians were huge on brewing beer, something I found through my light research while I was writing

I gotta give my boy Ovid credit for some of these quotes, mainly: “you envious barrier”,  “the sun went down into the waves”, and “dark and mournful color”. Thank you Ovid we all say in unison 🙏

Yeah, that’s all I got! Idk what it was, but when I first read this myth it just kinda stuck around in my head until I wrote something for it. Short little myths like this always make the best inspiration for short stories and stuff :D

[kismetharborconnections]

NAZLI CEYHAN IS LOOKING FOR HER CHILDHOOD BEST FRIEND!

OOC: Kaila

Character: Nazli Ceyhan

Type of Connection: Childhood Best Friend

WC Name: UTP

Age Range: 32-34

FC Options: Aimee Carrero, Bahar Sahin, Sydney Sweeney, Leyla Tanlar

Would you like to be contacted?: Yes, please!

Triggers: N/A

Connection Description:

Nazli and this person have been best friends since elementary school. While Nazli was more of a social butterfly, this person tended to have their nose in a book, was quiet and studious. Nazli was the first person to notice them sitting alone (they could have more recently moved to Kismet Harbor) and Nazli approached them to sit with them. She sat down next to her, started talking and never stopped. At first, this person was easily overwhelmed by Nazli but they quickly grew to appreciate her warmth and ability to make people feel included. From that moment on, they were inseparable. Their friendship has always been a classic case of opposites attracting. They were the duo that no one quite understood but everyone knew. When Nazli decided to go to Scotland for college, this person was the first she told. The distance was hard on their friendship and no matter how hard they tried to stay in touch, they eventually let life get in the way. There was never a dramatic falling out, just months passing between real conversations. When Nazli returned to Kismet Harbor, this person was the first one she reached out to upon returning home, if they were still in town.

[bxdybcg]

@lambxtoxslaughter​

Taking over this whole thing was not what she had expected after working with  her cousins husband, but here she was now. Their whole family moved away and put all their faith into her hands, and Ceyhan was determined to not disappoint. At least she had her little sister with her, which provided some sort of normal. “How’s it going?” She asked in reference to her studies, seeing as Kamile was deep in her books today. “Can you spare a break?”

[bxdybcg]

“This is temporary.” she explained. Ceyhan firmly believed that either Daria and Leon would return rather sooner than later, or that Iva would decide to just run it instead of letting someone help her. But while it lasted, she would do her best. A shrug, “It’s not too different from what I was doing before,” besides the fact that this was a whole district and before she was just the right hand of a powerful man leading a part of the district. Big difference, actually. “How about you? And your job? Still exciting?”

@bxdybcg​

“Well, this ain’t bad for a young wolf.” Well, young and young. 80-something wasn’t exactly young, but compared to some other gang leaders, it wasn’t exactly old. “So how you liking your new job?” He asked as he sat down in a free seat. 

[ccmpletemess]

closed starter for @honeyedblossom ft. ceyhan yazici & ( open )

"As riveting as this conversation has been, can we please talk about something a little less... dull?" Ceyhan scoffed, shaking his head. "Five more minutes and I'd probably be asleep. I'm sure I can find us something much more... interesting to talk about."

[silkroadeconomicbelt2-blog]

Modern-day Silk Road - Way Connecting Europe and Asian countries

China's silk road economic belt

The Silk Road or maybe Silk Route was the stock trading and cultural linking cord between Europe and Parts of asia during various periods involving history. In other words Silk Path was connecting traders, pilgrims, merchants and soldiers connected with East and West. ?t had been the way, how China as well as India used to reach the actual Mediterranean Sea. Length of the land path was about 6500 mls. Its name was derived from a silk filled duvet, main trading product supply by china manufacturer. Although Silk was not really the only trading item. Goods which include gold, ivory, exotic indoor plants and animals...

China's silk road economic belt

The Cotton Road has played a large role in development of cultures of China, India, Early Persia, Arabia and The european union. It was an impact on monetary, political and cultural discussion between these civilizations. Colonization of the region by Alexander The Great of Macedon throughout about 330 B. M. can be considered as the first conversation between East and Western world. It was an event, where Artistic, Persian and Indian Societies met.

It must be admitted in which Silk Road was not some sort of name of a single option. There were several divisions of computer. The traders used to decide on route depending on seasons and also political situation. Bandit raids also were a touchable impact on traffic course along with flows.

Main obstacles on the functioning overland Silk Route were Mongolian Empire, Rievocazione of Islam, replacement of the particular Yuan dynasty by the Ming dynasty in 1368 featuring its isolationist policy and progress silk route by water.

Nowadays, importance of overland Egypt Road re-increased. Carrying merchandise on these routes is simply not as hard as it had been in the past. It is also much faster when compared with over seas transportations. All-natural obstacles are solved until now.

Remaining obstacles that affect Silk Road: Clash with Syria, Sanctions against Afe, Non stabile situation within Russia because of its war versus Ukraine.

Modern Silk Street Vector

Resent set of instances in Syria, Iran, Spain and Ukraine made Ga a valuable land path attaching Europe and Asia. As an illustration, Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil conduite links Caspian Sea coast to Mediterranean cost of Chicken. It carries oil over Azerbaijan, Georgia and Poultry. This pipeline also supplies transportation of oil through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.

Georgian infrastructure is widely used intended for import of goods and goods from western countries straight into Azerbaijan (including import coming from Turkey) and Armenia. This kind of infrastructure includes Poti in addition to Batumi ports, railway traces, highways, warehouses and other logistics facilities. Import of brand brand-new and used Vehicles from the Caucasus region is also presented trough these facilities at the same time.

According to statistics of Ministry of Internal Affairs associated with Georgia, regular and various attempts to cross Georgian borders with illegal drug treatments may rank the country being a narcotic transit route.

[dilaysjoker]

Our Special Production W/ Actor Halil İbrahim Ceyhan 🎬🤩🤟🏻

#halilibrahimceyhan #producing #specialproduction #shooting #interviewing #writing #editor #successful #interview #writer #production #prodüksiyon #acting #actor #emanet #emanetdizi #fashion #model #life #musician #movies #emanetdizisi #conversation #interviewer #oyuncu #çekim #mag #menfashion #özelçekim #menstyle

[armeniaitn]

India-China Standoff: India Could Play The Taiwan, Tibet Card To Get China On Negotiating Table ...

New Post has been published on https://armenia.in-the.news/economy/india-china-standoff-india-could-play-the-taiwan-tibet-card-to-get-china-on-negotiating-table-39016-24-07-2020/

India-China Standoff: India Could Play The Taiwan, Tibet Card To Get China On Negotiating Table ...

Clashes along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border on July 12-14 not only triggered widespread international condemnation but also highlighted Yerevan’s desperation to divert world attention from occupied territories.

According to Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry, army officers and soldiers of their country were killed when the Armenian army suddenly attacked their positions with mortars and howitzers.

Reacting strongly, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, and National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar condemned the Armenian attacks and sided with Azerbaijan.

The deputies of Turkish political parties in the Grand National Assembly be that ruling AK Party or opposition CHP, MHP, and IYI Party, signed a joint statement, condemning the Armenian attack and said that the issue concerned the national interests of Turkey.

Armenia continues to occupy 20% of the territory of neighbouring Azerbaijan for over the past 26 years. Mediation efforts by the Minsk Group, which consists of Russia, the US, and France, to resolve the problem have so far come a cropper. For this reason, there are constant clashes in the occupied areas, manly on the front line.

The most violent of these occurred in April 2016, when Azerbaijan took control of the key strategic points. On the other hand, there is a general dissatisfaction in Azerbaijan with the diplomatic parleys conducted by the Minsk Group. Even though Azerbaijan wanted Turkey also to join the Minsk triumvirate, Armenia opposed the move.

Not only the authorities, but also the public, are tired of the Minsk Group’s endless diplomatic negotiations, and the voices that the war is the only solution are becoming louder. Especially after the conflict in Tovuz, dominant voices at a meeting held to commemorate martyrs in Baku said the idea of ‘Karabakh can only be saved through war.

While the attention of the Azerbaijani state and society was focused on the diplomatic and military options to liberate the occupied Azerbaijani territory, the recent attack carried out by Armenia far from the occupied territory is have varied objectives. Analysts are debating why the attack was not carried out from the occupied territory but from the border.

The conflict took place near the energy corridor

The conflict took place in the Tovuz region, an energy route, close to the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey corridor. Instability in this region has the potential to directly affect the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan crude oil pipeline, the Southern Gas Natural Gas Pipeline, and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway.

This strip opens up Turkey to Central Asia and it also gives way to the energy and transportation lines that carry Caspian oil and natural gas to Turkey and then to all over the world. On the one hand, these projects that exclude Armenia are the ones that unite Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey and ensures opening up of the South Caucasus to the world.

In a way, these routes are the lifeline to the economy of Azerbaijan. For this reason, it is believed that the reasons behind the Armenian attack could have been to hurt the Azerbaijani economy. In short, it can be said that the goal of Armenia was to damage the projects that unite Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Another prominent explanation behind the attack is that Armenia is trying to divert world attention from the occupied territories. The recovery of the occupied territories has been topmost priority for Azerbaijan’s foreign policy.

President Ilham Aliyev, along with his ministers and officials are constantly raising the issue in bilateral and multilateral forums. This situation bothers Armenia because Yerevan wants this issue to be put in cold storage and forgotten in order to continue the occupation.

Further, as of late 2019, Azerbaijan has established dominance over Armenia in the diplomatic front. It succeeded to put significant diplomatic pressure on Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan. Azerbaijan President Aliyev while stating that “Karabakh is Azerbaijan” at the Valdai Forum, highlighted the cooperation of Garegin Njdeh, the person that Armenia regards as a national hero, with Hitler’s Germany during the World War II at the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) summit in Ashgabat.

The importance of this pressure could be better understood when we also consider the problems in Russian-Armenian relations during the Pashinyan period.

In the previous years, while the European institutions did not show any sensitivity to Crimea, South Ossetia, and Abkhazia on Karabakh, recently their attitude has changed. They have started to support the solution of the Karabakh issue within the framework of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

During March and April, many international organizations and the states, including Turkey, condemned the illegal elections in the occupied territories.

Attempt to divert attention from occupied territories

Also, the illegal activities of Armenia in the occupied territories were condemned in the joint declaration of the representatives of the South Caucasus of the European Parliament.

Armenia was held responsible for the occupation. Of course, when these developments exerted pressure on Armenia, it tried to divert attention from the occupied region to the Armenia-Azerbaijan border with its latest action. It also tried to put blame on Azerbaijan for the attacks in Tovuz. But did not succeed.

The latest attack also stems from Armenia’s desire to seek political and military support from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), because the country has been pinched by the political isolation and its military incompetence in recent years.

Since the ongoing negotiations within the framework of the Minsk Group have not produced any result, Azerbaijan took great care to increase its military strength during Ilham Aliyev’s period. As a result, Azerbaijan has gained an upper hand over Armenia in terms of armaments. Azerbaijan proved its military superiority in the four-day battle in April 2016.

Also, Armenia’s isolation has increased in recent years due to the increased support of international organizations to Azerbaijan. For instance, Azerbaijan was elected as a provisional member of the UN Security Council in 2011-2012.

Then at the summit meeting held in Baku in 2019, Azerbaijan was elected president of the unconnected group of which it was a member in 2011. The unconnected group has adopted all declarations supporting the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan against the occupation of Armenia in recent years.

Further, Azerbaijan, a founding member of the Turkic Council, was elected its president in 2019. In all seven summit-level talks, the Turkic Council adopted declarations supporting the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

In March and April, the illegal elections were held in the occupied Azerbaijani territories with the support of the new Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan. These elections were condemned by many international organizations and states, notably by Turkey.

In short, despite the attempts of Armenia to introduce Azerbaijan as the “violent and disreputable state”, Azerbaijan has only extended its influence in the international arena. It gained wider support in its favour on the issue of the conflict with Armenia.

The isolation has made Yerevan more violent. It tried to use the CSTO, of which Armenia is among the member states to garner support. Since the occupied territories of Azerbaijan are not included in the mandate of the CSTO, the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, that is, the region where the recent attacks took place, is within the mandate of the CSTO.

CSTO also did not support Armenia

On July 12, the foreign minister of Armenia requested an emergency meeting of the CSTO in a telephonic conversation with its secretary-general. Although CSTO first decided to call the meeting but then postponed without mentioning any date.

For these reasons, Azerbaijani authorities have described the recent attack by Armenia as a provocation. In other words, since the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan is within the jurisdiction of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Azerbaijan does not want to blow the conflict lest it hurts the TRNC.

A few years ago, Azerbaijan withdrew its army from parts of this region and instead deployed border guards. Therefore, Armenia to gain both the military and political support of the CSTO, attacked the border, instead of the front line.

There are two reasons why the CSTO did not support Armenia openly. First of all, the Pashinyan administration opposed the election of the current secretary-general of the CSTO and disrupted the activity of the organization for over a long time.

The second reason is the relationship that Azerbaijan has developed with the members of the CSTO in recent years. Belarus sold the Polonez missile system to Azerbaijan despite protests by Yerevan. Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, as members of the Turkic Council, have always supported the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan against the occupation of Armenia.

Armenia isolated

Following the attack in Tovuz, Turkey, Ukraine, Pakistan, and Moldova issued statements supporting Azerbaijan. The secretary-general of the Turkish Council also condemned the Armenian attacks and supported the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan against the occupation of Armenia.

There has been no statement of support to Armenia not even from its so-called allies, except for the Greek Cypriot Administration (GCA). Ukrainian support for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan led to the attacks on its embassy in Yerevan.

The Armenian administration was also engaged in a diplomatic game to cobble up support from countries against Turkey. However, it did not succeed, because Azerbaijan’s efforts of isolating Armenia had come to fruition here as well.

Armenia also used the CSTO to start confrontation between Turkey and Russia, as it does not want their relations to normalize. Because it cannot benefit from Russia if its relations remain normal with Turkey. It also tried to project Turkey not only against Russia but also against the CSTO.

By Cavid Veliyev. Opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of The EurAsian Times

Read original article here.

[marcusflanagan]

Iraq to raise China oil sales by 60%

Iraq aims to supply China with about 60 percent more crude next year, as OPEC’s second-biggest supplier double downs on its main market in Asia, according to the head of the state-run Oil Marketing Co.

Iraq is ready to ship about 1.45 million barrels a day to China in 2019, based on conversations with existing long-term customers, Alaa Al-Yasiri, director general of the company known as SOMO, said in an interview in Shanghai on Monday. That compares to current sales of 900,000 barrels to ten term buyers that include state traders Chinaoil and Unipec, he said on the sidelines of the China International Import Expo.

SOMO’s push into China includes a deal this week to start an oil trading venture with Zhenhua Oil Co., which will be based in Tianjin. The venture tentatively plans annual sales of about 8 million metric tons — or about 160,000 barrels a day — to smaller, independent refiners known as teapots as well as large petrochemical plants, Al-Yasiri said.

The Iraqi company would predominantly offer Basrah Light crude, and plans to use the venture, which will be held equally with Zhenhua, to develop expertise beyond term deals to physical oil trading, he said.

To meet growing demand in Asia, Iraq is ready to expand shipments from the Turkish port of Ceyhan, and the company will announce its export plan for next year by the end of the month, he said. Iraq’s total exports fell to 3.83 million barrels a day in October.

“Global oil demand’s growth pillar is in Asia, with newly starting refineries mostly in Asia,” Al-Yasiri said. “This is a market SOMO values the most.”

Al-Yasiri said that expanding Iraqi output will help meet the extra demand from the region, which already accounts for 60 percent of SOMO’s sales, with 25 percent heading to Europe and 15 percent to the U.S.

The post Iraq to raise China oil sales by 60% appeared first on Energy Voice.

from Oil & Gas – Energy Voice https://ift.tt/2Qib9uR

[ccmpletemess]

closed starter for @lcvelymxnifest ( ceyhan & utp )

Holding his finger up, Ceyhan cut the other off before they could even get a word out. "As riveting as a conversation I am sure this is going to be, I am not in the mood for unnecessary chit chat. So, if it's not important, do kindly piss off."

[armeniaitn]

India-China Standoff: Chinese Troops Attacked Indian Soldiers To Distract Modi-Government From ...

New Post has been published on https://armenia.in-the.news/politics/india-china-standoff-chinese-troops-attacked-indian-soldiers-to-distract-modi-government-from-39025-23-07-2020/

India-China Standoff: Chinese Troops Attacked Indian Soldiers To Distract Modi-Government From ...

Clashes along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border on July 12-14 not only triggered widespread international condemnation but also highlighted Yerevan’s desperation to divert world attention from occupied territories.

According to Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry, army officers and soldiers of their country were killed when the Armenian army suddenly attacked their positions with mortars and howitzers.

Reacting strongly, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, and National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar condemned the Armenian attacks and sided with Azerbaijan.

The deputies of Turkish political parties in the Grand National Assembly be that ruling AK Party or opposition CHP, MHP, and IYI Party, signed a joint statement, condemning the Armenian attack and said that the issue concerned the national interests of Turkey.

Armenia continues to occupy 20% of the territory of neighbouring Azerbaijan for over the past 26 years. Mediation efforts by the Minsk Group, which consists of Russia, the US, and France, to resolve the problem have so far come a cropper. For this reason, there are constant clashes in the occupied areas, manly on the front line.

The most violent of these occurred in April 2016, when Azerbaijan took control of the key strategic points. On the other hand, there is a general dissatisfaction in Azerbaijan with the diplomatic parleys conducted by the Minsk Group. Even though Azerbaijan wanted Turkey also to join the Minsk triumvirate, Armenia opposed the move.

Not only the authorities, but also the public, are tired of the Minsk Group’s endless diplomatic negotiations, and the voices that the war is the only solution are becoming louder. Especially after the conflict in Tovuz, dominant voices at a meeting held to commemorate martyrs in Baku said the idea of ‘Karabakh can only be saved through war.

While the attention of the Azerbaijani state and society was focused on the diplomatic and military options to liberate the occupied Azerbaijani territory, the recent attack carried out by Armenia far from the occupied territory is have varied objectives. Analysts are debating why the attack was not carried out from the occupied territory but from the border.

The conflict took place near the energy corridor

The conflict took place in the Tovuz region, an energy route, close to the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey corridor. Instability in this region has the potential to directly affect the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan crude oil pipeline, the Southern Gas Natural Gas Pipeline, and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway.

This strip opens up Turkey to Central Asia and it also gives way to the energy and transportation lines that carry Caspian oil and natural gas to Turkey and then to all over the world. On the one hand, these projects that exclude Armenia are the ones that unite Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey and ensures opening up of the South Caucasus to the world.

In a way, these routes are the lifeline to the economy of Azerbaijan. For this reason, it is believed that the reasons behind the Armenian attack could have been to hurt the Azerbaijani economy. In short, it can be said that the goal of Armenia was to damage the projects that unite Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Another prominent explanation behind the attack is that Armenia is trying to divert world attention from the occupied territories. The recovery of the occupied territories has been topmost priority for Azerbaijan’s foreign policy.

President Ilham Aliyev, along with his ministers and officials are constantly raising the issue in bilateral and multilateral forums. This situation bothers Armenia because Yerevan wants this issue to be put in cold storage and forgotten in order to continue the occupation.

Further, as of late 2019, Azerbaijan has established dominance over Armenia in the diplomatic front. It succeeded to put significant diplomatic pressure on Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan. Azerbaijan President Aliyev while stating that “Karabakh is Azerbaijan” at the Valdai Forum, highlighted the cooperation of Garegin Njdeh, the person that Armenia regards as a national hero, with Hitler’s Germany during the World War II at the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) summit in Ashgabat.

The importance of this pressure could be better understood when we also consider the problems in Russian-Armenian relations during the Pashinyan period.

In the previous years, while the European institutions did not show any sensitivity to Crimea, South Ossetia, and Abkhazia on Karabakh, recently their attitude has changed. They have started to support the solution of the Karabakh issue within the framework of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

During March and April, many international organizations and the states, including Turkey, condemned the illegal elections in the occupied territories.

Attempt to divert attention from occupied territories

Also, the illegal activities of Armenia in the occupied territories were condemned in the joint declaration of the representatives of the South Caucasus of the European Parliament.

Armenia was held responsible for the occupation. Of course, when these developments exerted pressure on Armenia, it tried to divert attention from the occupied region to the Armenia-Azerbaijan border with its latest action. It also tried to put blame on Azerbaijan for the attacks in Tovuz. But did not succeed.

The latest attack also stems from Armenia’s desire to seek political and military support from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), because the country has been pinched by the political isolation and its military incompetence in recent years.

Since the ongoing negotiations within the framework of the Minsk Group have not produced any result, Azerbaijan took great care to increase its military strength during Ilham Aliyev’s period. As a result, Azerbaijan has gained an upper hand over Armenia in terms of armaments. Azerbaijan proved its military superiority in the four-day battle in April 2016.

Also, Armenia’s isolation has increased in recent years due to the increased support of international organizations to Azerbaijan. For instance, Azerbaijan was elected as a provisional member of the UN Security Council in 2011-2012.

Then at the summit meeting held in Baku in 2019, Azerbaijan was elected president of the unconnected group of which it was a member in 2011. The unconnected group has adopted all declarations supporting the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan against the occupation of Armenia in recent years.

Further, Azerbaijan, a founding member of the Turkic Council, was elected its president in 2019. In all seven summit-level talks, the Turkic Council adopted declarations supporting the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

In March and April, the illegal elections were held in the occupied Azerbaijani territories with the support of the new Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan. These elections were condemned by many international organizations and states, notably by Turkey.

In short, despite the attempts of Armenia to introduce Azerbaijan as the “violent and disreputable state”, Azerbaijan has only extended its influence in the international arena. It gained wider support in its favour on the issue of the conflict with Armenia.

The isolation has made Yerevan more violent. It tried to use the CSTO, of which Armenia is among the member states to garner support. Since the occupied territories of Azerbaijan are not included in the mandate of the CSTO, the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, that is, the region where the recent attacks took place, is within the mandate of the CSTO.

CSTO also did not support Armenia

On July 12, the foreign minister of Armenia requested an emergency meeting of the CSTO in a telephonic conversation with its secretary-general. Although CSTO first decided to call the meeting but then postponed without mentioning any date.

For these reasons, Azerbaijani authorities have described the recent attack by Armenia as a provocation. In other words, since the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan is within the jurisdiction of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Azerbaijan does not want to blow the conflict lest it hurts the TRNC.

A few years ago, Azerbaijan withdrew its army from parts of this region and instead deployed border guards. Therefore, Armenia to gain both the military and political support of the CSTO, attacked the border, instead of the front line.

There are two reasons why the CSTO did not support Armenia openly. First of all, the Pashinyan administration opposed the election of the current secretary-general of the CSTO and disrupted the activity of the organization for over a long time.

The second reason is the relationship that Azerbaijan has developed with the members of the CSTO in recent years. Belarus sold the Polonez missile system to Azerbaijan despite protests by Yerevan. Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, as members of the Turkic Council, have always supported the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan against the occupation of Armenia.

Armenia isolated

Following the attack in Tovuz, Turkey, Ukraine, Pakistan, and Moldova issued statements supporting Azerbaijan. The secretary-general of the Turkish Council also condemned the Armenian attacks and supported the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan against the occupation of Armenia.

There has been no statement of support to Armenia not even from its so-called allies, except for the Greek Cypriot Administration (GCA). Ukrainian support for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan led to the attacks on its embassy in Yerevan.

The Armenian administration was also engaged in a diplomatic game to cobble up support from countries against Turkey. However, it did not succeed, because Azerbaijan’s efforts of isolating Armenia had come to fruition here as well.

Armenia also used the CSTO to start confrontation between Turkey and Russia, as it does not want their relations to normalize. Because it cannot benefit from Russia if its relations remain normal with Turkey. It also tried to project Turkey not only against Russia but also against the CSTO.

By Cavid Veliyev. Opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of The EurAsian Times

Read original article here.

[armeniaitn]

The Takeaway: It's time to get 'clear-eyed' about Russian threat to US forces, says US Rep. Elissa ...

New Post has been published on https://armenia.in-the.news/politics/the-takeaway-its-time-to-get-clear-eyed-about-russian-threat-to-us-forces-says-us-rep-elissa-38695-22-07-2020/

The Takeaway: It's time to get 'clear-eyed' about Russian threat to US forces, says US Rep. Elissa ...

Jul 22, 2020

The Lead: Russia’s role in Mideast ‘comes at the expense’ of US interests, says Slotkin

Although Elissa Slotkin is only in her first term representing Michigan’s 8th district in Congress, she is already a go-to member on national security, sitting on the House Armed Services and Homeland Security committees.

Slotkin came to the Hill after a decade and a half in the executive branch, including stints at the CIA, where she did three tours in Iraq, and in senior positions with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the White House and the Pentagon, where she was acting assistant secretary of state for international security affairs.

Slotkin was the guest on Al-Monitor’s On the Middle East podcast today discussing US foreign policy, Congress, Russia and the Middle East.

Here are six takeaways from our conversation:

Clear-eyed about Russia. “We should be clear-eyed about the Russian attempt to thwart, target and engage the US military,” says Slotkin, “either directly or more likely through proxies.” Russia’s being ‘back in the game in the Middle East,” she added, “comes at the expense of our interests and certainly the access of the US military.”

Slotkin and US Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) have introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to require the Pentagon to produce a report to Congress on the threat to US forces from Russia and its proxies. If the report is included in the NDAA, it would be the first such assessment of the Russian threat.

​Differences on annexation. Although Slotkin considers Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s intention to annex some Jewish settlements in the West Bank to be a “security risk” for Israel, she does not support conditioning US assistance if it happens. “I haven’t signed a letter to condition aid or threaten people’s physical security because I happen to have major disagreements with the prime minister,” she said. “It’s that distinction I make in a lot of my engagements…I’m glad to see annexation on the back burner.”

Trump peace plan a non-starter. “It puts the thumb so heavily on the side of the Israelis that it provides no incentives for the Palestinians to come to the table,” she said.

Conditioning aid to Saudi Arabia. “We always have to be able to coordinate and work together with our partners on those threats that specifically threaten us and our allies,” Slotkin said. “That does not mean we should be in a position to provide intelligence to help the Saudis to prosecute careless targeting of civilians.”

Sanctioning Turkey. Slotkin says Turkey’s decision to go ahead with the purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defense system, after buying the US F-35 combat aircraft, could have an “outsized impact” on US arms sales to allies and partners. “If Turkey can get away with this unscathed, then what’s to keep lots of other partners and allies from doing the same thing?”

Iran and escalation. While Slotkin said she “may support the intent of recent semi-covert operations targeting Iran’s missile and nuclear facilities (“I am not a fan of the Iran nuclear program,” she said) and the killing of Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani, “What I’m concerned about is this administration’s ability to manage escalation.”

Listen here: These are a just few highlights of my interview with Rep. Slotkin; you can listen to the On the Middle East Al-Monitor podcast here.

Turkey: Three reasons Erdogan has Azerbaijan’s back in conflict with Armenia

Friend till the end. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made it clear Turkey is 100% behind Azerbaijan after border clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenian forces took place July 12.

Erdogan said that Turkey “will never leave Azerbaijan alone” and will support it “till the end.”

He went on to claim that Armenia undertook military action this month to block settlement over Nagorno-Karabakh, the disputed enclave between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and “create new conflict zones” in the region.

But here’s the catch. The recent fighting is not over Nagorno-Karabakh, raising questions about the where and why of the flare-up and what might be Erdogan’s objectives in talking tough in support of Azerbaijan.

Background: Armenia and Azerbaijan are both former Soviet republics in the South Caucuses. They have been in conflict over the Azeri region of Nagorno-Karabakh since a war between the two countries ended in 1994. Nagorno-Karabakh is administered by ethnic Armenians backed by the Government of Armenia. Internationally mediated negotiations have failed. Turkey has bitter relations with Armenia and close ties with Azerbaijan. A 2009 US-mediated peace agreement between Turkey and Armenia collapsed soon after it was agreed.

Erdogan’s three objectives in the conflict:

Stoking nationalism. “Turkey’s hawkish messages could be attributed to the self-confidence it has gained in its recent military ventures in Syria and Libya,” writes Fehim Tastekin. “Both interventions have served Erdogan’s interests in domestic politics, but neither of them could compare to the nationalist fervor that Turkish posturing in the Caucasus could stoke, given Turkey’s ethnic kinship with Azerbaijan and historical enmity with Armenia.”

“Getting tough with Armenia also plays to Erdogan’s nationalist base as he seeks to revive his sagging poll numbers amid the country’s worst economic downturn since his Justice and Development Party came to power 18 years ago,” adds Amberin Zaman.

Leverage with Russia. Erdogan may also be looking for some leverage in his dealings with Russian President Vladimir Putin in both Syria and Libya. “Erdogan has fallen behind his declared objectives in both conflicts,” writes Tastekin. But Russia has its own levers of influence in the region, including strong ties with Armenia and decent relations with Azerbaijan. “Conflict dynamics in the South Caucasus — no matter what set them into motion — might pave the way for Russia to reassert its control in the region,” writes Tastekin.

Energy advantage. Metin Gurcan offers a slightly different, if complementary, take. The conflicts over the past week are not over Nagorno-Karabakh — they occurred in the Tavush region.

“The Tavush area is Azerbaijan’s gateway to Turkey in terms of energy, rail and transit routes,” explains Gurcan. “Azerbaijan’s South Caucasus Pipeline runs nearby, carrying gas to the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline in Turkey, which is a major component of Turkish and European efforts to reduce energy reliance on Russia. The area is central also to the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad, two major joint projects that Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey have realized since the collapse of the Soviet Union.”

“In other words, the area is crucial for Azeri energy exports to Europe and the only land route linking Azerbaijan to Turkey via Georgia. In this context, it is also a crucial corridor for Turkey and Europe to access Central Asia and China by sidestepping Russian and Iranian domains,” writes Gurcan.

Our take: This one bears watching especially because, as Gurcan points out, a catalyst may be US sanctions targeting companies involved in Russian pipelines to Europe. Erdogan values his relationship with Putin, and while they have found a way to keep the dialogue on Syria, they are on opposite sides in Libya. Erdogan sees another opportunity to seek an advantage on Putin while not adding to his woes with the United States over sanctions. Escalation may be unlikely but can’t be ruled out. Tough talk comes easily to Erdogan, but he is also known to back it up.

Israel: Knesset moves to criminalize gay conversion therapy

Israel’s Knesset advanced two legislation proposals banning gay conversion therapy, which would be punishable up to one year in jail. The licenses of psychologists engaged in such therapies will be canceled for five years. The legislation adds a few more hurdles and is opposed by Netanyahu’s Likud and their ultra-Orthodox Knesset partners. Public Security Minister and Knesset member Amir Ohana, who is openly gay, was the only member of his party to vote for the bill. Rina Bassist has the story here.

Read original article here.

[armeniaitn]

Could Economic Woes & Hijacking Derail Sudan's Revolutionary Progress?

New Post has been published on https://armenia.in-the.news/economy/could-economic-woes-hijacking-derail-sudans-revolutionary-progress-38559-22-07-2020/

Could Economic Woes & Hijacking Derail Sudan's Revolutionary Progress?

Clashes along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border on July 12-14 not only triggered widespread international condemnation but also highlighted Yerevan’s desperation to divert world attention from occupied territories.

According to Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry, army officers and soldiers of their country were killed when the Armenian army suddenly attacked their positions with mortars and howitzers.

Reacting strongly, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, and National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar condemned the Armenian attacks and sided with Azerbaijan.

The deputies of Turkish political parties in the Grand National Assembly be that ruling AK Party or opposition CHP, MHP, and IYI Party, signed a joint statement, condemning the Armenian attack and said that the issue concerned the national interests of Turkey.

Armenia continues to occupy 20% of the territory of neighbouring Azerbaijan for over the past 26 years. Mediation efforts by the Minsk Group, which consists of Russia, the US, and France, to resolve the problem have so far come a cropper. For this reason, there are constant clashes in the occupied areas, manly on the front line.

The most violent of these occurred in April 2016, when Azerbaijan took control of the key strategic points. On the other hand, there is a general dissatisfaction in Azerbaijan with the diplomatic parleys conducted by the Minsk Group. Even though Azerbaijan wanted Turkey also to join the Minsk triumvirate, Armenia opposed the move.

Not only the authorities, but also the public, are tired of the Minsk Group’s endless diplomatic negotiations, and the voices that the war is the only solution are becoming louder. Especially after the conflict in Tovuz, dominant voices at a meeting held to commemorate martyrs in Baku said the idea of ‘Karabakh can only be saved through war.

While the attention of the Azerbaijani state and society was focused on the diplomatic and military options to liberate the occupied Azerbaijani territory, the recent attack carried out by Armenia far from the occupied territory is have varied objectives. Analysts are debating why the attack was not carried out from the occupied territory but from the border.

The conflict took place near the energy corridor

The conflict took place in the Tovuz region, an energy route, close to the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey corridor. Instability in this region has the potential to directly affect the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan crude oil pipeline, the Southern Gas Natural Gas Pipeline, and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway.

This strip opens up Turkey to Central Asia and it also gives way to the energy and transportation lines that carry Caspian oil and natural gas to Turkey and then to all over the world. On the one hand, these projects that exclude Armenia are the ones that unite Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey and ensures opening up of the South Caucasus to the world.

In a way, these routes are the lifeline to the economy of Azerbaijan. For this reason, it is believed that the reasons behind the Armenian attack could have been to hurt the Azerbaijani economy. In short, it can be said that the goal of Armenia was to damage the projects that unite Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Another prominent explanation behind the attack is that Armenia is trying to divert world attention from the occupied territories. The recovery of the occupied territories has been topmost priority for Azerbaijan’s foreign policy.

President Ilham Aliyev, along with his ministers and officials are constantly raising the issue in bilateral and multilateral forums. This situation bothers Armenia because Yerevan wants this issue to be put in cold storage and forgotten in order to continue the occupation.

Further, as of late 2019, Azerbaijan has established dominance over Armenia in the diplomatic front. It succeeded to put significant diplomatic pressure on Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan. Azerbaijan President Aliyev while stating that “Karabakh is Azerbaijan” at the Valdai Forum, highlighted the cooperation of Garegin Njdeh, the person that Armenia regards as a national hero, with Hitler’s Germany during the World War II at the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) summit in Ashgabat.

The importance of this pressure could be better understood when we also consider the problems in Russian-Armenian relations during the Pashinyan period.

In the previous years, while the European institutions did not show any sensitivity to Crimea, South Ossetia, and Abkhazia on Karabakh, recently their attitude has changed. They have started to support the solution of the Karabakh issue within the framework of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

During March and April, many international organizations and the states, including Turkey, condemned the illegal elections in the occupied territories.

Attempt to divert attention from occupied territories

Also, the illegal activities of Armenia in the occupied territories were condemned in the joint declaration of the representatives of the South Caucasus of the European Parliament.

Armenia was held responsible for the occupation. Of course, when these developments exerted pressure on Armenia, it tried to divert attention from the occupied region to the Armenia-Azerbaijan border with its latest action. It also tried to put blame on Azerbaijan for the attacks in Tovuz. But did not succeed.

The latest attack also stems from Armenia’s desire to seek political and military support from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), because the country has been pinched by the political isolation and its military incompetence in recent years.

Since the ongoing negotiations within the framework of the Minsk Group have not produced any result, Azerbaijan took great care to increase its military strength during Ilham Aliyev’s period. As a result, Azerbaijan has gained an upper hand over Armenia in terms of armaments. Azerbaijan proved its military superiority in the four-day battle in April 2016.

Also, Armenia’s isolation has increased in recent years due to the increased support of international organizations to Azerbaijan. For instance, Azerbaijan was elected as a provisional member of the UN Security Council in 2011-2012.

Then at the summit meeting held in Baku in 2019, Azerbaijan was elected president of the unconnected group of which it was a member in 2011. The unconnected group has adopted all declarations supporting the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan against the occupation of Armenia in recent years.

Further, Azerbaijan, a founding member of the Turkic Council, was elected its president in 2019. In all seven summit-level talks, the Turkic Council adopted declarations supporting the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

In March and April, the illegal elections were held in the occupied Azerbaijani territories with the support of the new Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan. These elections were condemned by many international organizations and states, notably by Turkey.

In short, despite the attempts of Armenia to introduce Azerbaijan as the “violent and disreputable state”, Azerbaijan has only extended its influence in the international arena. It gained wider support in its favour on the issue of the conflict with Armenia.

The isolation has made Yerevan more violent. It tried to use the CSTO, of which Armenia is among the member states to garner support. Since the occupied territories of Azerbaijan are not included in the mandate of the CSTO, the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, that is, the region where the recent attacks took place, is within the mandate of the CSTO.

CSTO also did not support Armenia

On July 12, the foreign minister of Armenia requested an emergency meeting of the CSTO in a telephonic conversation with its secretary-general. Although CSTO first decided to call the meeting but then postponed without mentioning any date.

For these reasons, Azerbaijani authorities have described the recent attack by Armenia as a provocation. In other words, since the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan is within the jurisdiction of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Azerbaijan does not want to blow the conflict lest it hurts the TRNC.

A few years ago, Azerbaijan withdrew its army from parts of this region and instead deployed border guards. Therefore, Armenia to gain both the military and political support of the CSTO, attacked the border, instead of the front line.

There are two reasons why the CSTO did not support Armenia openly. First of all, the Pashinyan administration opposed the election of the current secretary-general of the CSTO and disrupted the activity of the organization for over a long time.

The second reason is the relationship that Azerbaijan has developed with the members of the CSTO in recent years. Belarus sold the Polonez missile system to Azerbaijan despite protests by Yerevan. Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, as members of the Turkic Council, have always supported the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan against the occupation of Armenia.

Armenia isolated

Following the attack in Tovuz, Turkey, Ukraine, Pakistan, and Moldova issued statements supporting Azerbaijan. The secretary-general of the Turkish Council also condemned the Armenian attacks and supported the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan against the occupation of Armenia.

There has been no statement of support to Armenia not even from its so-called allies, except for the Greek Cypriot Administration (GCA). Ukrainian support for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan led to the attacks on its embassy in Yerevan.

The Armenian administration was also engaged in a diplomatic game to cobble up support from countries against Turkey. However, it did not succeed, because Azerbaijan’s efforts of isolating Armenia had come to fruition here as well.

Armenia also used the CSTO to start confrontation between Turkey and Russia, as it does not want their relations to normalize. Because it cannot benefit from Russia if its relations remain normal with Turkey. It also tried to project Turkey not only against Russia but also against the CSTO.

By Cavid Veliyev. Opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of The EurAsian Times

Read original article here.

[armeniaitn]

Turkey Could Get Military Involved In Armenia-Azerbaijan Border Conflict?

New Post has been published on https://armenia.in-the.news/economy/turkey-could-get-military-involved-in-armenia-azerbaijan-border-conflict-38520-22-07-2020/

Turkey Could Get Military Involved In Armenia-Azerbaijan Border Conflict?

Clashes along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border on July 12-14 not only triggered widespread international condemnation but also highlighted Yerevan’s desperation to divert world attention from occupied territories.

According to Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry, army officers and soldiers of their country were killed when the Armenian army suddenly attacked their positions with mortars and howitzers.

Reacting strongly, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, and National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar condemned the Armenian attacks and sided with Azerbaijan.

The deputies of Turkish political parties in the Grand National Assembly be that ruling AK Party or opposition CHP, MHP, and IYI Party, signed a joint statement, condemning the Armenian attack and said that the issue concerned the national interests of Turkey.

Armenia continues to occupy 20% of the territory of neighbouring Azerbaijan for over the past 26 years. Mediation efforts by the Minsk Group, which consists of Russia, the US, and France, to resolve the problem have so far come a cropper. For this reason, there are constant clashes in the occupied areas, manly on the front line.

The most violent of these occurred in April 2016, when Azerbaijan took control of the key strategic points. On the other hand, there is a general dissatisfaction in Azerbaijan with the diplomatic parleys conducted by the Minsk Group. Even though Azerbaijan wanted Turkey also to join the Minsk triumvirate, Armenia opposed the move.

Not only the authorities, but also the public, are tired of the Minsk Group’s endless diplomatic negotiations, and the voices that the war is the only solution are becoming louder. Especially after the conflict in Tovuz, dominant voices at a meeting held to commemorate martyrs in Baku said the idea of ‘Karabakh can only be saved through war.

While the attention of the Azerbaijani state and society was focused on the diplomatic and military options to liberate the occupied Azerbaijani territory, the recent attack carried out by Armenia far from the occupied territory is have varied objectives. Analysts are debating why the attack was not carried out from the occupied territory but from the border.

The conflict took place near the energy corridor

The conflict took place in the Tovuz region, an energy route, close to the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey corridor. Instability in this region has the potential to directly affect the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan crude oil pipeline, the Southern Gas Natural Gas Pipeline, and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway.

This strip opens up Turkey to Central Asia and it also gives way to the energy and transportation lines that carry Caspian oil and natural gas to Turkey and then to all over the world. On the one hand, these projects that exclude Armenia are the ones that unite Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey and ensures opening up of the South Caucasus to the world.

In a way, these routes are the lifeline to the economy of Azerbaijan. For this reason, it is believed that the reasons behind the Armenian attack could have been to hurt the Azerbaijani economy. In short, it can be said that the goal of Armenia was to damage the projects that unite Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Another prominent explanation behind the attack is that Armenia is trying to divert world attention from the occupied territories. The recovery of the occupied territories has been topmost priority for Azerbaijan’s foreign policy.

President Ilham Aliyev, along with his ministers and officials are constantly raising the issue in bilateral and multilateral forums. This situation bothers Armenia because Yerevan wants this issue to be put in cold storage and forgotten in order to continue the occupation.

Further, as of late 2019, Azerbaijan has established dominance over Armenia in the diplomatic front. It succeeded to put significant diplomatic pressure on Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan. Azerbaijan President Aliyev while stating that “Karabakh is Azerbaijan” at the Valdai Forum, highlighted the cooperation of Garegin Njdeh, the person that Armenia regards as a national hero, with Hitler’s Germany during the World War II at the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) summit in Ashgabat.

The importance of this pressure could be better understood when we also consider the problems in Russian-Armenian relations during the Pashinyan period.

In the previous years, while the European institutions did not show any sensitivity to Crimea, South Ossetia, and Abkhazia on Karabakh, recently their attitude has changed. They have started to support the solution of the Karabakh issue within the framework of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

During March and April, many international organizations and the states, including Turkey, condemned the illegal elections in the occupied territories.

Attempt to divert attention from occupied territories

Also, the illegal activities of Armenia in the occupied territories were condemned in the joint declaration of the representatives of the South Caucasus of the European Parliament.

Armenia was held responsible for the occupation. Of course, when these developments exerted pressure on Armenia, it tried to divert attention from the occupied region to the Armenia-Azerbaijan border with its latest action. It also tried to put blame on Azerbaijan for the attacks in Tovuz. But did not succeed.

The latest attack also stems from Armenia’s desire to seek political and military support from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), because the country has been pinched by the political isolation and its military incompetence in recent years.

Since the ongoing negotiations within the framework of the Minsk Group have not produced any result, Azerbaijan took great care to increase its military strength during Ilham Aliyev’s period. As a result, Azerbaijan has gained an upper hand over Armenia in terms of armaments. Azerbaijan proved its military superiority in the four-day battle in April 2016.

Also, Armenia’s isolation has increased in recent years due to the increased support of international organizations to Azerbaijan. For instance, Azerbaijan was elected as a provisional member of the UN Security Council in 2011-2012.

Then at the summit meeting held in Baku in 2019, Azerbaijan was elected president of the unconnected group of which it was a member in 2011. The unconnected group has adopted all declarations supporting the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan against the occupation of Armenia in recent years.

Further, Azerbaijan, a founding member of the Turkic Council, was elected its president in 2019. In all seven summit-level talks, the Turkic Council adopted declarations supporting the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

In March and April, the illegal elections were held in the occupied Azerbaijani territories with the support of the new Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan. These elections were condemned by many international organizations and states, notably by Turkey.

In short, despite the attempts of Armenia to introduce Azerbaijan as the “violent and disreputable state”, Azerbaijan has only extended its influence in the international arena. It gained wider support in its favour on the issue of the conflict with Armenia.

The isolation has made Yerevan more violent. It tried to use the CSTO, of which Armenia is among the member states to garner support. Since the occupied territories of Azerbaijan are not included in the mandate of the CSTO, the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, that is, the region where the recent attacks took place, is within the mandate of the CSTO.

CSTO also did not support Armenia

On July 12, the foreign minister of Armenia requested an emergency meeting of the CSTO in a telephonic conversation with its secretary-general. Although CSTO first decided to call the meeting but then postponed without mentioning any date.

For these reasons, Azerbaijani authorities have described the recent attack by Armenia as a provocation. In other words, since the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan is within the jurisdiction of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Azerbaijan does not want to blow the conflict lest it hurts the TRNC.

A few years ago, Azerbaijan withdrew its army from parts of this region and instead deployed border guards. Therefore, Armenia to gain both the military and political support of the CSTO, attacked the border, instead of the front line.

There are two reasons why the CSTO did not support Armenia openly. First of all, the Pashinyan administration opposed the election of the current secretary-general of the CSTO and disrupted the activity of the organization for over a long time.

The second reason is the relationship that Azerbaijan has developed with the members of the CSTO in recent years. Belarus sold the Polonez missile system to Azerbaijan despite protests by Yerevan. Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, as members of the Turkic Council, have always supported the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan against the occupation of Armenia.

Armenia isolated

Following the attack in Tovuz, Turkey, Ukraine, Pakistan, and Moldova issued statements supporting Azerbaijan. The secretary-general of the Turkish Council also condemned the Armenian attacks and supported the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan against the occupation of Armenia.

There has been no statement of support to Armenia not even from its so-called allies, except for the Greek Cypriot Administration (GCA). Ukrainian support for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan led to the attacks on its embassy in Yerevan.

The Armenian administration was also engaged in a diplomatic game to cobble up support from countries against Turkey. However, it did not succeed, because Azerbaijan’s efforts of isolating Armenia had come to fruition here as well.

Armenia also used the CSTO to start confrontation between Turkey and Russia, as it does not want their relations to normalize. Because it cannot benefit from Russia if its relations remain normal with Turkey. It also tried to project Turkey not only against Russia but also against the CSTO.

By Cavid Veliyev. Opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of The EurAsian Times

Read original article here.