Ilham Aliyev’s warlike statements on resumption of hostilities in Karabakh conflict zone are groundless and nothing else but a political game, Head of CIS Department of the Russian Institute of Strategic Research Alexander Skakov said in an interview with NEWS.am.

According to him, Baku’s recent military threats are induced by Armenian-Turkish reconciliation and intended for internal public. “Thereby Baku tries to link Karabakh conflict with Armenian-Turkish relations and affect somehow Ankara, as attempts of relations’ normalization with Yerevan incur displeasure in Azerbaijan. However, this pressure will not come to head as Ankara has its own priority interests”, the expert reckons.

Skakov reassured, that Azerbaijan will not open hostilities especially after the August 2008 war in Georgia. “Georgian experience showed that military operations in South Caucasus are doomed to failure, as International organizations will not permit escalation of situation in the region. Even if we assume in theory, that Azerbaijan unleashed a war, it will last several days and end under the pressure of CSTO, UN, European structures and Russia. I would restate that Azerbaijan will not resume hostilities, as Aliyev would not run such an adventure, if for no other reason than he is not Saakashvili,” Skakov concluded.