YEREVAN. “The Azerbaijani side has a motive for a “sniper war”. It is some kind of blackmail in an attempt to exert pressure on the Armenian side,” Director of the Caucasus Institute Alexander Iskandaryan stated at “Caucasus-2010” international conference in Yerevan.

“Everything goes according to plan, by order of Baku. This is not actions by Lieutenant Mamedov or warrant officer Hovhannisyan, it is more serious,” Iskandaryan said, adding under such circumstances the “sniper war” will go on. The expert also pointed out the Armenian side’s determination to prevent the Azerbaijani armed forces’ provocations. According to him, there are no significant changes in the Karabakh peace process. “The negotiations are underway within Minsk Group format, approved by the U.S. and EU, as well as Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Last year a series of meetings between Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian Presidents were held, aimed at controlling the situation and maintaining Karabakh’s status quo. Efforts are made for the conflicting parties to come to a decision, however the opposition is stronger than the external pressure,” he noted, adding the situation will remain unchanged in the next few years.

The analyst also indicated changes in Armenian politicians’ rhetoric. “If a categorical statement like “not an inch of land” could be heard infrequently, in particular, from radical parties several years ago, now it is voiced more often, even the President sometimes says something like that,” he said.