Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Escalation of the tension on the contact line of Armenian and Azerbaijani troops continues to raise concern of international community.

While some try to contribute to resolution of the protracted Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the others seem to be satisfied with issuing statements, mainly aimed to defend the aggressor Armenia, which occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally-recognized territories.

Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a Russia-led military alliance, Nikolai Bordyuzha's latest statement can be considered as one of those that were made for the sake of statement.

Bordyuzha reminded the necessity of preventing the conflict from turning into a large-scale military clash, saying that such a development is a terrible prospect as the entire Caucasus would “blow up”.

“Situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is alarming and it is needed to prevent any further escalation of the conflict. The CSTO is watching with great concern what is happening in the Caucasus, especially around the Karabakh conflict, along the line of contact between the Armenian-Azerbaijani troops,” he said, according to the Russian media.

However, it is hard to believe to the words of Bordyuzha, who leads the organization that must render a military help to invader Armenia, in case the military operations renewed with Azerbaijan, political analysts say.

The CSTO is an intergovernmental military alliance created in 1992. Armenia, which occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized territories in early 1990s, is one of the six members of the organization.

Azerbaijani MP Asim Mollazade didn’t take Bordyuzha’s words for serious, saying: “We have repeatedly heard similar statements from him."

Mollazade said his statements usually serve to defend Russia’s military ally Armenia and its policy.

“I do not see there any change. Bordyuzha serves to its military alliance by using intimidation and protecting Armenia’s position,” he told AzerNews.

Political analyst Fikrat Sadigov believes that Bordyuzha’s statement first of all, should to be addressed to the Armenian side and the leadership of Armenia.

Sadigov noted that Azerbaijan, in fact, aims to liberate its territories from the occupation.

“As the delay in the conflict resolution is a serious threat to stability in the region, the task of the international community, regional powers is to do whatever is necessary to resolve the conflict,” he said.

Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions from Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million were displaced as a result of the war.

Large-scale hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire in 1994 but Armenia continued the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal.

Peace talks mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. have produced no results so far.

--

Sara Rajabova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SaraRajabova

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz