The aim of Azerbaijan’s acts of sabotage on the line of contact with the Nagorno-Karabakh armed forces is not a military settlement of the problem. Rather, the reason is the forthcoming parliamentary elections in the country. The acts of sabotage reveal Azerbaijan being nervous as well as its attempts to blackmail the international community, Alexander Iskandaryan, Director of the Caucasus Institute, told reporters.

According to him, Azerbaijan’s acts of sabotage on the contact line are no mere coincidence, their aim being to “check” the Nagorno-Karabakh army’s effectiveness and alert. “They did and got their teeth crushed,” the expert said.

As to the OSCE Minsk Group’s nonspecific statements, calling on the conflicting parties to refrain from violation of ceasefire, Iskandaryan pointed out that “It is not difficult to understand the OSCE Minsk Group. They, as mediators, must work with all the conflicting parties. And, if the co-chairs speak straight from the shoulder instead of using diplomatic terms, the work will fail,” the expert said. Commenting on the co-chairs’ visit to the region, Iskandaryan said that they thus wanted to show the process is going on.