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AZERBAIJANI POLITICAL LEADERSHIP INCREASES THREAT OF WAR AGAINST BREAKAWAY ENTITY
Global Insight
July 16, 2012
BYLINE: Lilit Gevorgyan
On 12 July, Azerbaijan's First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ziyafat
Asgarov during his meeting with Lamberto Zannier, the Secretary-General
of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
in the Azeri capital Baku once again warned that his country will
"use all means to liberate lands". The statement was the opposite of
what Zannier, who is touring the region, is trying to achieve. The
OSCE's Minsk Group, co-chaired by France, Russia and the US, has been
mediating talks between Azerbaijan, Armenia and--until 1998-- the
mainly ethnic-Armenian self-declared Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Asgarov
repeated the official position of his government which in recent years
has become more vocal about settling the 24-year- conflict by military
means. Zannier was quoted as saying that, "It is essential for both
sides to abstain from retaliatory measures that would lead to further
escalation and to remove snipers from the Line of Contact. There is
a clear need to immediately implement measures that would stabilize
the worrisome situation and prevent the unacceptable further loss
of lives."
Significance:The bellicose statement by the Azerbaijani representative
comes shortly after two border incursions in early June into Armenia
by Azerbaijani commandos that resulted in at least ten deaths on both
sides. What was worrying about this development was that the attacks
were not in the zone of conflict around Nagorno-Karabakh. Following
these events Azerbaijan also staged military exercises last week near
Nagorno-Karabakh. Cross-border sniper shootings have also increased,
leading to loss of life every month on either side. Azerbaijan
maintains that the conflict should be resolved with its territorial
integrity kept intact while Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh argue that
their region was attached to Azerbaijan by Soviet leader Josef Stalin
and they had the right to self-determination, which they consequently
exercised in 1988 when they broke away. The peace talks are unlikely
to bring any results any time soon not least because Nagorno-Karabakh,
excluded from the talks under Azerbaijani pressure, does not always
agree with Armenia representing it in the talks. On the other hand,
unconfirmed reports suggest that Azerbaijan, encouraged by its
significant profits from energy exports, is seeking a quick military
solution, which could be disastrous for the region. Thus far it
appears that the major deterrent for Azerbaijan is its uncertainty
over Armenia's military capabilities and the Russian response to any
potential new war.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Global Insight
July 16, 2012
BYLINE: Lilit Gevorgyan
On 12 July, Azerbaijan's First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ziyafat
Asgarov during his meeting with Lamberto Zannier, the Secretary-General
of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
in the Azeri capital Baku once again warned that his country will
"use all means to liberate lands". The statement was the opposite of
what Zannier, who is touring the region, is trying to achieve. The
OSCE's Minsk Group, co-chaired by France, Russia and the US, has been
mediating talks between Azerbaijan, Armenia and--until 1998-- the
mainly ethnic-Armenian self-declared Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Asgarov
repeated the official position of his government which in recent years
has become more vocal about settling the 24-year- conflict by military
means. Zannier was quoted as saying that, "It is essential for both
sides to abstain from retaliatory measures that would lead to further
escalation and to remove snipers from the Line of Contact. There is
a clear need to immediately implement measures that would stabilize
the worrisome situation and prevent the unacceptable further loss
of lives."
Significance:The bellicose statement by the Azerbaijani representative
comes shortly after two border incursions in early June into Armenia
by Azerbaijani commandos that resulted in at least ten deaths on both
sides. What was worrying about this development was that the attacks
were not in the zone of conflict around Nagorno-Karabakh. Following
these events Azerbaijan also staged military exercises last week near
Nagorno-Karabakh. Cross-border sniper shootings have also increased,
leading to loss of life every month on either side. Azerbaijan
maintains that the conflict should be resolved with its territorial
integrity kept intact while Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh argue that
their region was attached to Azerbaijan by Soviet leader Josef Stalin
and they had the right to self-determination, which they consequently
exercised in 1988 when they broke away. The peace talks are unlikely
to bring any results any time soon not least because Nagorno-Karabakh,
excluded from the talks under Azerbaijani pressure, does not always
agree with Armenia representing it in the talks. On the other hand,
unconfirmed reports suggest that Azerbaijan, encouraged by its
significant profits from energy exports, is seeking a quick military
solution, which could be disastrous for the region. Thus far it
appears that the major deterrent for Azerbaijan is its uncertainty
over Armenia's military capabilities and the Russian response to any
potential new war.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress