Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept.5 / Trend, E. Tariverdiyeva /
The statements made by Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan at the CIS summit in Dushanbe indicate that Armenia continues its informational pressure on its negotiation partners, Chief Editor of the Vestnik Kavkaza and Trend Expert Council member Alexei Vlasov believes.
"Due to the absence of the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the summit, his Armenian counterpart, apparently, found it possible to use more rigid and harsh wording than he usually does during one-on-one meetings or in negotiations with Aliyev in the tripartite format," Vlasov told Trend.
According to Vlasov, these statements cast doubt on the current prospects of resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, at least in the format in which they were determined after Meiendorf agreements.
"All of this creates a very tense atmosphere around the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement and is not a plus for peace process. Now all - politicians, experts, as well as media outlets need to carefully choose the wording. The situation is teetering on the edge, and most importantly - that verge cannot be passed," Vlasov said.
At an enlarged meeting of heads of states and governments of CIS countries, Sargsyan made a provocative statement about Nagorno Karabakh in the harshest form.
In response, Azerbaijani Prime Minister Artur Rasizade said that Armenia has occupied 20 percent of the Azerbaijani territories for 20 years, and not intending to fulfill the UN Security Council's resolutions, which call Yerevan for deoccupation.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.