Preventing massive bloodshed is the only realistic task in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, Sergey Mikheyev, Vice-President of the Center for Political Technologies (Russia), said during a Yerevan-Moscow telebridge on January 25.

There is no other political task - Armenia considers Nagorno-Karabakh its territory and is not going to leave it, while Azerbaijan will not put up with Nagorno-Karabakh`s independence.

"It is important to prevent massive bloodshed. And it can be even more massive than many may think," the expert said. Numerous talks and conferences can be held, but neither Armenians nor Azerbaijanis will retreat.

The sides are holding diametrically opposite positions, and preventing bloodshed is the only realistic task, Mikheyev said. "So emphasis must be placed on it," the expert concluded.