Armenia joined EEU; is Karabakh closer to us now?

By Hamid Hamidov

Armenia has formally joined the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU). It has done so within its borders recognized by the UN and without Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenia joining the EEU without Nagorno-Karabakh is no news. For that reason, I find all the euphoria and jubilation in some Azerbaijani media about it insulting to some extent.  

How could Armenia have joined the EEU together with the occupied Azerbaijani territory? Were there any grounds for it? Armenia has its own borders recognized by the UN and other international organizations. Nagorno-Karabakh is not within those borders.

Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as being Azerbaijani territory. No country in the world, including Armenia, has recognized it as independent or part of Armenia. 

Therefore, I am afraid I do not share the euphoria raised by some Azerbaijani media. There was no way Armenia could do that. Otherwise, the member states of the Customs Union and the EEU would have recognized the occupation policy of the Armenian state, thus risking their relations with Azerbaijan. To the founding members of the EEU, i.e. Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus, Azerbaijan is a far more important partner than Armenia is.

Armenia joining the EEU without Nagorno-Karabakh means that there should be customs checkpoints installed between it and the occupied Azerbaijani territory. 

There should be, but who is going to make sure that these checkpoint will indeed be installed? Who is going to inspect them, Russia, Kazakhstan or Belarus? They will hardly do that.  

Is it technically possible? Will Russian or Belarusian customs officials be deployed on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border to check on what’s being brought in or out? I don’t think so.  

Even if customs checkpoints are indeed erected, they will there just for formality. They are not going to carry out their responsibilities.    

Some of my colleagues argue that Armenia’s membership of the EEU is very important to Azerbaijan from the legal point of view and for the restoration of Azerbaijan’s sovereignty over the occupied territory.  

It possibly is. But all countries in the world recognize Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. Does this not provide the sufficient ground for Azerbaijan to restore its territorial integrity? Moscow, Astana and Minsk recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as Azerbaijani territory, do they not?

And, finally, did all of these help us regain control of at least an inch of the occupied territory? Not yet, although Azerbaijan has all the rights to use force to liberate its territory.

Bakudaily.Az