Baku, Azerbaijan, July 11
By Anakhanum Khidayatova – Trend:
The protests in Armenia demonstrate how frustrated people are with the despaired economic situation, Ariel Cohen, the leading expert of the US Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, principal of International Market Analysis, Ltd. told Trend July 10.
“However it is likely that without economic reforms and a peaceful solution of Karabakh conflict the protests in Armenian overtime would escalate,” he said. “The ongoing Karabakh conflict is distracting the attention of the society from the luck of economic development and justifies policies of militarization.”
“Therefore it is important for Azerbaijan and Armenia to find mutually acceptable peaceful solution for Karabakh,” the expert said. “In terms of Sahakyan’s visits I do not see indications of forthcoming recognition of Karabakh.”
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, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council’s four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
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