YEREVAN. – The OSCE Minsk Group is attempting to save itself and maintain its existence, said Russian political scientist Alexander Skakov.

He stated this speaking at Tuesday’s discussion on the internal and external factors of the rising of tension at the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone.

In his words, the existence of this group is not beneficial for Azerbaijan. 

“The OSCE Minsk Group can be criticized for being passive, incapable,” noted Skakov. “But it is the only format of the peace process for the settlement of the Karabakh conflict.”

The analyst added that, after the tension last spring—when Azerbaijan had unleashed a large-scale military aggression against Karabakh, pressure was put on all the parties to this conflict.

“And this forced Azerbaijan to agree to some agreements [i.e. in the Austrian capital city of Vienna, and in Saint Petersburg, Russia],” he recalled. “But it was clear that they are not signed, and Baku can easily forego them, which it did.”

Alexander Skakov noted that, under these conditions, both Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh should have the chance to respond, even disproportionately, to Azerbaijan’s provocations.

“Nonetheless, if we are thinking about peace, the creation of a monitoring system [at the conflict zone] is a necessity,” he concluded. “But, I don’t yet see [any] particular prospects for such a process.”