Incidents on the line of contact between Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan will go on Thomas de Waal, a British journalist, writer and an expert on the Caucasus, said in an interview with Voice of America.

He pointed out the alarming fact that in some points the sides’ positions are just 40 meters away from each other. The expert also pointed out a major difference between the militant rhetoric of the Azeri President and of the Azeri Minister of Defense. The President is issuing threats, while the minister is joking, Thomas de Waal said. According to him, the reason is that the statements by Alham Aliev and Safar Abiev are intended for different audiences. Specifically, the reason of Aliev’s threats is the need for political dividends.

Thomas de Waal believes that Azerbaijan cannot gain victory in case of war, evidence thereof is various surveys. He explains it by Nagorno-Karabakh’s geographical location and the Armenian army’s power. Besides modern arms, a victory requires relying on the army, which Azerbaijan cannot do now, he said. Should Azerbaijan unleash war, it will claim the lives of thousands of Azerbaijani soldiers, Thomas de Waal said.