YEREVAN. – It is unlikely that Azerbaijan would start hostilities on May 9, political scientist Aleksandr Markarov, who is Director of CIS Institute Armenian Branch, stated at a press conference on Wednesday.

In his words, this is a matter of calculation.

“Military actions on May 9 and suffering defeat yet again is hardly included in the plans of Azerbaijan,” Markarov said. “They [i.e. the Azerbaijani side] need to be sure that they can achieve some success, but no one can guarantee that; its example is the experience of the four-day war [in early April].”

On May 9, the ex-USSR countries, including Armenia, celebrate the anniversary of the victory that was achieved against fascist Germany in World War II. But May 9 is a double celebration for the Armenian nation, since the military operation of liberating the Nagorno-Karabakh City of Shushi from Azerbaijani armed forces came to an end on that day in 1992. The liberation of Shushi was a crucial phase in the Karabakh War.