An Azerbaijani task force’s intrusion into the NKR territory on the night of June 19 proves Azerbaijan is nervous, Alexander Iskandaryan, Director of the Institute of Caucasus, told journalists on June 19. According to him, that military operation was not a mere coincidence or the local command’s arbitrary decision. “Regular sniping across the Azerbaijani-NKR border is common knowledge, but actions like that exceed the limits,” Iskandaryan said. He added the incident may be the immediate result of yesterday’s Armenian-Azerbaijani-Russian presidential meeting. “Mr. Aliyev was obviously put in a foul mood. I think the order was issued after that meeting,” Iskandaryan said.

The international community will condemn the aggressive action, said the expert. “I do not think the international community will approve of that step. However, it should not be expected to take any serious measures against Azerbaijan,” Iskandaryan said. He believes that the Azerbaijani military operation failed to achieve its aim. “It is a politico-military system. So they should issue a statement on a planned operation, but Azerbaijan has not so far shown any response. It is evidence something has ‘gone wrong’,” Iskandaryan said.

On June 18, at 11:30 p.m. an Azerbaijani reconnaissance detachment intruded into Nagorno-Karabakh from Azerbaijan. The trespasser Azerbaijanis could intrude into the north-eastern section of the NKR-Azerbaijani contact line, killing 4 Armenian soldiers and wounding 4 others. The Armenian side took retaliatory measures. The enemy retreated, leaving one soldier killed and ammunition.

June 17, an Armenian-Azerbaijani-Russian presidential meeting was held in Saint Petersburg