‘All this is a diplomatic game’: expert on Azeri claims

Speaking with Alpha News, Russian political scientist Peter Kolchin commented on the possibility of a new escalation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border amid reports from Baku that the Armenian side is allegedly massing forces and military equipment on the border.

According to the expert, all this is a diplomatic game with the goal of creating the most stable negotiating position.

“The raised issue of border demarcation requires very careful and balanced planning. Of course, both Baku and Yerevan are trying to carry out this process with minimal risks for themselves. For this, they are trying to accuse each other of escalation, massing troops, and other actions. All this is a diplomatic game, with the goal of creating the most stable negotiating position. But I’m not sure that this can lead to direct conflicts.

Still, the negotiation process is underway, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan agrees to it. All other players, other countries such as Turkey, Iran and Russia, are closely monitoring this process and will try to stabilize the situation,” Kolchin said.

“As for the massing troops that Azerbaijan is talking about, I do not think that this can be any reason for war. Of course, Azerbaijan can bring its troops to the border, but the question here is more about the border demarcation, which Yerevan, in principle, agrees to, and one way or another, the process will be completed. So far, there are no critical points where the parties disagree. And so far, there are no obvious factors that could escalate the situation,” Kolchin concluded.