Thursday, May 5 2016 10:05

Azerbaijan leadership has faced a deadlock, says Sergey Minasyan, the deputy head of the Caucasus Institute.  In his words, Baku's April aggression has not brought it the cherished fruits, though Baku has been arming for more than 20 years. "Azerbaijan's blitzkrieg failed. Baku failed to change the status quo or cancel the trilateral agreements on ceasefire and strengthening of the ceasefire dating back to 1994-1995. It has achieved no other results that would enable it to influence the peace process," Minasyan told reporters on May 5.  

The analyst said Azerbaijan has two options: either to settle the conflict by force or to bring back the troops and armory to the barracks. Yet, both the options are losing for Azerbaijan's government, Minasyan said.  He is sure that the military actions will hardly bring them the desirable result and contain many risks, while the return of the troops to the barracks will create serious problems to the authorities.  Minasyan recalled Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's latest statement saying that Moscow is working towards establishment of mechanisms to inquire into incidents on the Line of Contact. "I think creation of mechanisms will work in Baku's favor and help it break the deadlock," Minasyan said.

As for the Armenian Government-approved Bill recognizing the Republic of Artsakh, the expert assured journalists that it was a message to the world community and Azerbaijan that Armenia is ready for more radical steps if the situation grows even tenser.

In his words, the document is yet to undergo heated debates in the parliament and it is untimely to speak of the results of those debates. "One thing is for sure - Armenia has brought the negotiations on Karabakh to a completely new level," he said.  If Armenia eventually recognizes NKR, a completely new stage will commence, but it will in no way affect the commitments of Russia and CSTO to Armenia.  Earlier, the parliamentary majority killed similar bills saying that recognition of the NKR by Armenia would stop the peace talks.