Armenia and Azerbaijan: "Apricot war" sprouting from regional conflict

PanARMENIAN.Net - Amid the renewed violence on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, smaller manifestations of the conflict have surfaces in the various parts of the world. In London, for instance, Azerbaijani demonstrators attacked a group of Armenians who were chanting "Hayastan" (Armenia) near the Embassy of Yerevan and trying to protect the building.

But Moscow saw the most irrelevant public disquiet on July 17 when trucks loaded with Armenian produce were banned from entering markets belonging to Azerbaijani billionaires Ilham Rahimov and God Nisanov.

As a result, tons of Armenian apricots and sweet cherries remained in trucks, but not for long. Social media users spread the word about the incident, and Armenians from different cities of Russia flocked to the trucks to buy Armenian produce.

Prominent Russian-Armenian writer Narine Abgaryan was among the first to report on the incident. She told her social media followers that the apricots were of excellent quality and cheaper than the market price, because the markets that sheltered the Armenian trucks demanded no fees.

Towards the evening of July 18, most of the fruit was sold, with people forming lines to buy Armenian apricots. Other producers had put up small food stalls, offering water, coffee, lavash (Armenian flatbread) and cheese to sellers and buyers alike.

The Armenian Embassy in Russia revealed later in the day that trucks carrying foods from Armenia to Moscow (specifically those heading to the markets owned by either of the Azerbaijani businessmen) can park for free on the territory of two storage centers in the Russian capital.

Businessmen from both Armenia and Russia offered solutions too, making more parking arrangements for trucks in both Moscow and Saint Petersburg.

Days earlier, a group of people speaking Azerbaijani were filmed buying apricot in Russia and stomping it as a sign of protest against Armenia.

The situation on the border between the two countries escalated on July 12, with Azerbaijan having launched three unsuccessful infiltration attempts since that day. The Azerbaijani military has also been firing on the Armenian positions, and using large caliber grenade launchers and combat drones to target civilian homes in several border settlements. Four servicemen of the Armenian army have been killed, while Azerbaijan has reported 12 deaths.