New tension on the line of contact [between Armenia and Azerbaijan] will have to be expected by the time of municipal elections in Karabakh on September 13, the Italian newspaper East Journal writes. The article reads:

“Shootings have resumed in Nagorno-Karabakh. As during last year, when about thirty people died on the border, August again turned into a month of clashes.  

The conflict, frozen in 1994, has remained unresolved. Although Armenia doesn’t recognize Karabakh, it considers the republic as its own (Artaskh, as it is called here, is populated exclusively by Armenians).

The accumulated tension, which had remained suppressed for years, has in te recent years flowed into clashes threatening to spark a new conflict.

On September 2, the entire Nagorno-Karabakh united to celebrate the 24th anniversary of its independence. The solemn ceremony was headed by Nagorno-Karabakh president Bako Sahakyan, who bestowed awards upon the defenders of the homeland.  

On September 13, elections of local self-government authorities will take place, being preceded by parliamentary ones on May 3. Given the past experience, they will most probably also be followed by new tension.”