By the end of August, Armenia is set to withdraw from the Lachin district and to hand over the area to Azerbaijan in accordance with the Tripartite Agreement signed between Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia. Already, in anticipation of this withdrawal, Armenians have been burning down trees and homes in the Lachin district in order to ensure that the reconstruction process will be even more difficult for Azerbaijan. The ecocide that is being committed in Lachin has great implications for the environment, peace in the Caucasus region and it also has international implications as well.
Azerbaijani journalist Anastasia Lavrina stressed: "Lachin was occupied by the Armenian armed forces in 1992. And now, these lands are finally coming back to the true owners, Azerbaijan. After the Second Karabakh War, it was clearly stated that the Lachin Corridor will be closed as soon as a new road is built. A new road was built by Azerbaijan in a very short time. The people who are now living in Lachin are ethnic Armenians who were illegally settled from some Middle Eastern countries during the years of occupation. Definitely, these people cannot stay there any longer. We are not talking about people who lived there before, but those who were illegally settled."
According to her, "Ethnic Armenians illegally lived there for some years. They are now obliged to leave these territories, but they cannot do this peacefully. For this reason, they are burning their houses and the forests. They used water as a weapon. They closed the water that was important for the people of Azerbaijan. They blocked water reservoirs, so people in Azerbaijan could not use the water for agriculture. They did not pay attention to the conditions of this water reservoir and used it in a way that would cause flooding. And now, they continue to destroy nature."
Associate Professor Maxime Gauin noted, "Unfortunately, it was expected, as the same happened after the Second Karabakh War. They used the time needed to evacuate to burn things down. They even slaughtered bees. We saw the same thing after the Bolshevik Revolution in Eastern Anatolia. We see that it is deeply rooted in their culture to destroy what they are forced to leave."
Rabbi Zamir Isayev proclaimed: "The withdrawal of Armenia from Lachin is a good thing as it is part of the Tripartite Agreement. Armenia is trying from day to day not to keep this agreement. Azerbaijan is doing everything that there will be peace in this area, but Armenia is creating conflict, including among the local Armenians living in these Azerbaijani territories. All of the time, they do provocations. The Armenian separatists are doing their best to torpedo the procedure. Yet, Azerbaijan is doing its best to come to peace." The ecocide that is being committed in the wake of Armenia's withdrawal from Lachin not only harms the environment, but it harms the prospects for peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
The question remains, how will Armenia's withdrawal from Lachin affect Israel? Rabbi Zamir declared: "Israel is an ally and partner of Azerbaijan in many things including in the rebuilding of Karabakh and the agriculture of Karabakh. The vast destruction of trees and agricultural fields in the Lachin region can adversely affect the reconstruction process and thus Israel's ability to benefit from their agricultural relations with Azerbaijan."
According to the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies, Israel and Azerbaijan have signed an agreement stating that Israel will assist the reconstruction of the agriculture industry in Karabakh and in return, Azerbaijan will ensure Israel's food security in the wake of the Ukraine war, which has threatened the supply of wheat and many other things: "With the use of contemporary technologies, Azerbaijan's agriculture, which has enormous potential, a favorable climate, and fruitful conditions, is expected to see incredible results in a relatively short amount of time." However, Armenia committing ecocide in the Lachin area is a major setback to this agreement.
Nevertheless, Hai Yanarocak, a Turkey expert at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, declared: "During the Second Karabakh, Israel openly allied with Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan is an important ally for Israel due to its position next to Iran. They are also Shia and prove that Israel can have a relationship with a Shia country. Azerbaijan also buys Israeli military products. Armenia in contrast depends on Russia and Iran, and thus cannot be a reliable partner for Israel. This is why Israel sides with Azerbaijan. For this reason, the withdrawal of Armenia from the Lachin area is important for maintaining Azerbaijani dominance in the area and this will strengthen Azerbaijan's area strategically."
Furthermore, despite the destruction in the Lachin area caused by the Armenians, prominent Middle East scholar Dr. Mordechai Kedar also believes that the Lachin region getting handed over to Azerbaijan in itself still strengthens Israel's position in the region: "A strong Azerbaijan gives strength to the Azerbaijanis in Iran and this is good for Israel." Thus, in the end, even though the vast ecological destruction is a setback for Israel's agricultural relations with Azerbaijan, in the end, the handover definitely strengthens Israel's geostrategic position in the region, as a strong Azerbaijan is good for Israel.
Rachel Avraham is the CEO of the Dona Gracia Center for Diplomacy and editor of the Economic Peace Center. She is also the author of "Women and Jihad: Debating Palestinian Female Suicide Bombings in the American, Israeli and Arab Media."
