What is currently happening on Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan is referred to as a low-intensity conflict. It has existed since the early or mid-2000’s and stretched until the second war in Nagorno-Karabakh last year.
This is what Director of the Caucasus Institute, political scientist Alexander Iskandaryan said during today’s online discussion. Moreover, the analyst stated that even though there were different borders back then, there would still be firing and escalation, as well as movements of Azerbaijani and Armenian soldiers from time to time.
Nevertheless, according to Iskandaryan, what happened was not accidental since Azerbaijan has a strategy and specific purpose, that is, Baku wants a railway to pass through the southern sector of Armenia and reach Turkey. Iskandaryan added that Baku doesn’t want Armenians and Armenian forces to control the road.
“Another goal of Azerbaijan is to achieve the signing of a treaty that the authorities of the country will present to the public as certain recognition of Azerbaijan’s borders and de facto inclusion of Nagorno-Karabakh within the composition of Azerbaijan through Armenia’s acknowledgement of this,” the analyst clarified. Basically, according to him, Baku wants to have such a treaty so that it can declare that the war in Nagorno-Karabakh is finally over.