BAKU, Azerbaijan, Oct. 10
By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:
The international community should take part in resolution efforts in Nagorno-Karabakh, Bezen Coskun, Research Fellow at Germany-based Centre for Applied Turkey Studies (CATS) told Trend.
Coskun said that today, the military build-up of the Azerbaijani army is very powerful and expressed sureness that the Armenian military and political elite are well aware of Azerbaijani armed forces' superiority.
“In my opinion, the only reason for them to continue attacks against Azerbaijan is to show Armenians that they are fighting for their nation. Hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis, Armenians need something to hold on to,” Coskun said.
He added that for the international community, this is an ample opportunity to reignite the negotiations.
“Moscow is now positioning itself as a mediator for the ceasefire and declared its readiness to host the Minsk group. Turkey is also eager to support a prospective diplomatic process. Thus, the international community should take part in resolution efforts in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict issue,” 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.
Azerbaijan responded with a counter-offensive along the entire front. As a result of retaliation, Azerbaijani troops liberated a number of territories previously occupied by Armenia, as well as take important, strategic heights under control.
The fighting continued into October 2020, in the early days of which Armenia has launched missile attacks on Azerbaijani cities of Ganja, Mingachevir, Khizi as well as Absheron district.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.