Does Nikol play with fire?

Baku/18.06.18/Turan: The recent processes in Armenia again testify to the growing tension in the neighboring country, and in Karabakh. The new head of Armenia takes steps to resolve the problem of political prisoners, releasing one after another odious persons who are considered enemies of the former regime - Serge Sargsyan.

Zhirayr Sefilyan and Samvel Babayan have been released. They are both active participants of the Karabakh war, and prepared armed protests against the authorities of Yerevan. Their liberation strengthens the public's sympathy for the new government, which in this way restores justice. The reaction of the society to yesterday's arrest of MP Manvel Grigoryan was similar. Another participant in the war, a mafia man, known as an invader of Fizuli and Jebrail regions of Azerbaijan. Apparently, the removal of such odious personalities from the political arena of Armenia will continue.

However, the arrest of deputies without the consent of the parliament, and the members of the former ruling Republican Party, the largest faction in parliament, will not be easy. Last week, Pashinyan again spoke about the necessity to investigate the events of March 1, 2008 and to interrogation of then-President Robert Kocharian.

After that, ex-Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan was summoned for interrogation , then two high-ranking Defense Ministry employees who were in charge of economic issues were arrested.

After coming to power, Pashinyan changed the makeup of the force structures and removed almost all the people from Karabakh.

These caused fermentation in Karabakh, where local security officials also resigned under the pressure of the population protests, while the separatist leader Bako Sahakyan promised not to remain in power after 2020. However, the protests did not stop.

Against the backdrop of these events, Pashinyan demonstrates an almost aggressive policy towards Azerbaijan, toughening Yerevan's position and demanding Karabakh's participation in the settlement negotiations as a full-fledged participant.

Repression against former leaders of Armenia and the elite will inevitably lead to their consolidation and an attempt to take revenge. As a rule, sabotage and provocation on the ground and at the front become the first sign of the growing problems. The next stage is the blocking of the decisions of the government in the parliament and in the army.

To prevent these processes, Pashinyan needs not just control over the police, army and security service, which have too many supporters of the former regime. Involvement of such figures as Zhirayr Sefilyan and Samvel Babayan, is fraught with aggravation of the situation and armed confrontation, as well as the reduction of personal accounts.

Against this background, it is not realistic to conduct productive negotiations on the Karabakh settlement. Moreover, the bet on such men as Sefilyan and Babayan excludes the possibility of a compromise in the settlement negotiations.

The overall picture is aggravated by the fact that the new Armenian authorities do not have normal contact with the Azerbaijani authorities and have made an important step - establishing personal ties between the foreign ministers, not to mention the first persons of the two countries.

In this situation, it can be assumed that very soon Pashinyan's government will face hard times. -02B-