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Construction of the 3-meter-high wall was launched in 2011 and mostly aimed to protect the front-line villages. Azerbaijani media already labeled the project the “Great Karabakh Wall”, failing, however, to provide a reasonable explanation of its purpose. The Azerbaijani Agency for Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of Areas has undertaken the initiative which is preliminary estimated to cost around 300 mln euros. The lion’s share of the allotted funds will probably be pocketed; so, what’s the purpose of this wall? According to Azerbaijani observers, the construction of the wall contradicts the statements of the Azerbaijani government that speaks of prompt “liberation” of Karabakh. They also claim that the Armenian politicians and media present the construction project as Azerbaijan’s reconciliation with the loss of Karabakh. Well, a different opinion would have been strange in Armenia. However, Ilham Aliyev needs to construct the wall, both for self-assertion and to demonstrate his care for his people, namely the population of the frontier regions “suffering” from shootings. Such logic implies that a wall built by Armenia would appear more reasonable: the snipers are killing the Armenians, and not Azerbaijanis. Still, a wall is necessary for safety reasons; in addition, it is needed to prevent cases of desertion. In a word, this is going to be sort of a Great Chinese Berlin Wall.
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