Escalation Possible Between Azerbaijan and Armenia on the Eve of Peace Treaty Signing, Says Andrey Bistritsky

An escalation may occur between Azerbaijan and Armenia on the eve of signing a peace treaty. This opinion was expressed by Andrey Bistritsky, President of the Development and Support Foundation of the Valdai International Discussion Club, in an interview with TASS.

“It is possible that these countries are exchanging quite serious statements ahead of a peace treaty or some sort of agreement. At the same time, ultimately, these statements are followed by declarations of a principled readiness for a treaty, so it is not always easy to distinguish political rhetoric from the actual situation,” he said.

Bistritsky noted that in previous years, whenever a somewhat fundamental agreement was being discussed, the parties would make provocative statements against each other to strengthen their negotiating positions.

“I wouldn’t speak so directly [about the probability of a new conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan]. The risks are always there; we saw that in 2020. But at the same time, both parties understand that military operations are an extreme measure,” he added.

Earlier, experts from the American Foreign Policy magazine expressed that a potential new war between Azerbaijan and Armenia would be short-lived, but no less dramatic than the 44-day conflict in 2020.