11:50, 23 May 2021

Analysts treat tension level on Armenian-Azerbaijani border as low

The Black Lake in the Syunik Region of Armenia. Screenshot of the video at the YouTube channel armen mograbyan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh45CC6K8_s

There were no large-scale incidents on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border; but the conflict is acutely perceived in Armenia due to the unstable political situation, Igor Korotchenko, a political analyst, believes.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on May 12-13, according to Yerevan, Azerbaijani militaries invaded the Syunik and Gegarkunik Regions of Armenia. Nikol Pashinyan, the Acting Prime Minister, stated on May 20 that some 500-600 Azerbaijani were still present in the Armenian territory. On the same day, a brawl broke out among soldiers near the Armenian village of Khoznavar, in which 11 Armenian soldiers and Azerbaijani soldiers suffered.

The issue of defining the border of Azerbaijan with the southern regions of Armenia arose after the autumn aggravation of the Karabakh conflict in 2020. When Azerbaijani border posts appeared on the eastern border of the Syunik Region of Armenia, some of residents of Armenia were forced to leave their homes.

So far, the conflict has not been accompanied by large-scale incidents, Igor Korotchenko has noted.

Now, Armenia and Azerbaijan are engaged in "preliminary marking their negotiating positions," said Alexander Karavaev, an employee of the Centre for Post-Soviet Studies at the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS).

At the border demarcation, Armenia and Azerbaijan will pursue their own goals; and the involvement of a third party can lead to a "two against one" format, some political analysts believe.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 22, 2021 at 08:20 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Author: Magomed Tuayev

Source: CK correspondent