Azernews.Az

By Trend

The only logical solution to Nagorno Karabakh conflict is for Armenia to cede the territory back to Azerbaijan, Enders Wimbush, Former director of Radio Liberty and former Vice President of Hudson Institute in US, told Trend.

Wimbush said that the conflict has never been resolved, so the risk of escalation has always lain just beneath the surface.

“Unresolved conflicts always escalate, eventually, until some permanent resolution is found. Cause and effect seem closely tied, in this case. Armenia seized the territory in the early 1990s while Azerbaijan lacked the capabilities to defend it successfully. Today Azerbaijan has the capabilities, the motive, the energy, and the opportunity because Armenia is confused geopolitically, having compromised its tether to Russia, while resisting openings to Turkey, which has in any case championed the Azerbaijan side,” he explained.

In short, he said, the conflict escalated because one side saw the opportunity to solve the problem as it understood it, while the other side has lost support for its immunity to having its definition of the conflict challenged.

He also noted that there is no solution to the conflict that will fit all sides as “all sides” seek different outcomes.

“The only logical solution is for Armenia to cede the territory back to Azerbaijan and attempt to manage the backlash from its own population that will certainly occur. In short, geography makes all imaginable peaceful solution,” he said.

Armenian Armed Forces launched a large-scale military attack on positions of Azerbaijani army on the front line, using large-caliber weapons, mortars and artillery on Sept. 27.