Political scientist Novikov explained the new aggravation in Nagorno-Karabakh by the friction between Baku and Yerevan
A new aggravation between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh occurred due to a dead end in relations between the two countries. Such an opinion in a conversation with Lenta.ru was expressed by political scientist, head of the Caucasus department of the Institute of CIS Countries Vladimir Novikov. He explained the reasons for the current tension.
On August 3, the military of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic reported shelling from Baku, as a result of which two contract servicemen were killed, 14 more were injured, reports Interfax. Partial mobilization was announced in the republic. According to Vladimir Novikov, it was predictable.
“The situation is quite serious because it has reached a dead end to a certain extent. There are constant frictions between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the issue of how the clause on opening communications in the region should be understood. In particular, Azerbaijan actually wants to create the so-called Zangezur corridor, which would connect Turkey and Azerbaijan with Nakhichevan. Armenia, which understands what this means for its national interests, clearly does not want this,” he said.
Another stumbling block, which may be the most important one, is the peace treaty. The current Armenian government, perhaps, would like to conclude it, leaving the solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem for later. Baku believes that the issue has been resolved, the issue of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh is not worth it and will no longer be, and the problem is resolved in 2020
Baku is not ready to talk about anything, except, at most, cultural aspects, the political scientist says. In this situation, Baku is trying to exert armed pressure on Yerevan in order to force it to be more accommodating on all these issues, the specialist explained. It is difficult to predict how explosive the current aggravation is, Novikov noted.
“The situation is quite unpredictable. It may be silenced for a while, but only for a while, because the policy of forceful pressure will continue. But there is an escalation logic. For example, the First World War. Nobody wanted war, but the logic of the words spoken and the actions taken left the parties no choice but to start hostilities. It’s the same here,” he concluded.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the aggravation of the situation in the region. Armenian side accused Baku in violation of trilateral agreements, which led to casualties and injuries.
The military department of Azerbaijan, in turn, statedthat carried out Operation Retribution in Nagorno-Karabakh. During it, the military took control of a number of heights, including Gyrkhgyz and Sarybaba. Baku demanded the demilitarization of the region in Nagorno-Karabakh, where Armenian military personnel and Russian peacekeepers are deployed.
In 1991, Nagorno-Karabakh declared independence from Azerbaijan, which led to the outbreak of a war that ended in 1994. In September 2020, fighting broke out again on the line of contact between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh, as a result of which Baku managed to return part of the lost territories.
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