YEREVAN. – The status quo in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement process will be maintained in the short and medium term, Caucasus Institute Director, political scientist Alexander Iskandaryan stated during a press conference on Monday.     

In his view, this status quo is dependent on the current balance of military power between the parties to the conflict. “[But] It should be noted that the existing balance is not a result of political efforts by the parties,” Iskandaryan noted. 

Reflecting on the settlement of the conflict, the analyst assured that the presidents and FMs of the parties will hold respective talks, but, aside from formal bilateral statements, there will not be any significant breakthrough in the coming years.

And with respect to the frequent shots being fired at the line of contact, the political scientist noted that more Azerbaijani soldiers are killed at the line of contact than Armenian servicemen. 

“Certainly, a skirmish cannot be ruled out because the Azerbaijani leadership has a ‘rational’ need for skirmishes. The latter are that commodity which Azerbaijan attempts to sell,” Alexander Iskandaryan concluded.