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There is no alternative to “rehabilitation” of allied relations with Russia, Armenian opposition MP Edmon Marukyan, the leader of the Bright Armenia Party, said on Friday.

His comments came after the Greek City Times warned that Azerbaijan is preparing for a new war to capture Syunik from Armenia.

The media outlet cited Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s statement at an economic conference last week that a “new transport corridor will pass through Zangezur (Syunik), a historic territory of Azerbaijan, and will connect mainland Azerbaijan with its integral part, the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic, and Turkey.”

“In another suggestion that Azerbaijan is preparing for a new military operation against Syunik province, a Turkish Boeing 737AEW&C early warning and control aircraft was circling near the border with Armenia. This is the same plane codenamed “CENAH01” which was used during the opening days of last year’s war. There are also reports that Azerbaijan is calling up reservists, while at the same time the Turkish and Azerbaijani military have conducted joint exercises near the Armenian border.

“The suggestion that Azerbaijan is preparing for a new war comes at a time when it appears that Ukraine is preparing for a spring offensive against militias in Donbass. There is a possibility that Azerbaijan and Ukraine, both close allies of Turkey, could launch simultaneous operations to force Russia to make concessions on behalf of Donbass militias and Armenia,” the Greek City Times said.

The lawmaker recalled that before the 2020 war in Artsakh, Greek City Times revealed that Turkey was transferring Syrian mercenaries to Azerbaijan.

“I reflected on the security threats in Syunik Province and the ways to neutralize them in December last year. It is in this context that I stressed the importance of starting talks with Russia on the immediate deployment of a Russian military base in Syunik. My proposal is especially relevant now, when various local and international sources warn of the threat of a renewed war,” Marukyan wrote on Facebook.

“The issue of the deployment of a Russian military base cannot be considered separately from the foreign policy agenda of the Republic of Armenia. It presupposes taking the allied-strategic relations between Armenia and Russia to a new level, with mutual trust to be defined as a key principle.

“In the context of regional developments, there is no alternative to the "rehabilitation" of allied relations with Russia. We must be realistic: given the current humanitarian and military-political problems, Armenia cannot withstand the threat of a new war alone,” the MP said, calling for public consolidation to handle the challenges facing the country.

“I call on all parties to immediately step out of this vicious circle of “hatred and enmity”, to exercise prudence, act wisely and make every effort to neutralize the forecasted threat of war. Otherwise, according to the established "tradition", this time the “black” and “white” labeling will endanger the existence of Armenia,” Marukyan said.