Azerbaijan may resume war in 2014 - expert

Director of the Regional Studies Center Richard Giragosyan is concerned that Azerbaijan may resume the war with Armenia as early as in 2014.
As he told reporters on Friday, the 20th anniversary of the Ceasefire Accord might mark the symbolic end of the deal. He said Azerbaijan is inclined to resort to war once it sees no progress in the peace process over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Another key factor, according to him, is that the country is running out of its oil resources but has enough time in the coming couple of years to acquire military equipment.
The expert noted further that the 2014 Winter Olympics increase Azerbaijan's chances given that the hosting country, Russia, will focus more attention on the sporting events rather than regional peace in that period.
As for the Azerbaijani forces’ recent borderline clashes that amounted to a violation of the Ceasefire Accord, claiming the lives of five Armenian soldiers, Giragosyan said they are targeted against the West, not just Armenia. According to him, Azerbaijan wanted to incite Armenia to violence in an attempt to raise what he called the level of its domestic legitimacy.
The expert noted that Azerbaijan is not yet ready for war despite all its efforts to prove that it is strengthening its military potential.
Giragosyan believes that unlike Azerbaijan, Armenia is ready to protect its territories. According to him, the only sphere that needs further self-perfection in the country is national security which has to be "active and professional".    Read more... (252 words)

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