“Saboteurs” captured in Nagorno-Karabakh

By Vestnik Kavkaza

In recent times the Nagorno-Karabakh sides have stated about tension on the line of contact between their armed forces. Experts don’t exclude that actions aimed at boosting tension are connected with the intention to ruin the next round of negotiations on Nagorno-Karabakh.

It was announced in early summer that French President Francois Hollande had initiated a meeting between the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Paris. However, the date of the meeting has not not announced. The French ambassador to Azerbaijan hopes that the upcoming meeting in Paris will be productive and become a step toward peace. However, he stressed that the talks would only be successful if the Armenian authorities were ready to compromise.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov stated that Baku had received the invitation from the French President, but Azerbaijan is waiting for certainty. Neither Baku nor Yerevan needs a meeting for the sake of a meeting.

Meanwhile, the Armenian mass media spread a speech by the Defense Minister of the country, Seiran Oganyan, which is far from attempts to normalize the situation. He stated that the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan had formed a reconnaissance and sabotage group and had involved criminals who know the locality well in it; he said that the group had committed acts of sabotage in Nagorno-Karabakh and had been eliminated.

The Azerbaijan Defense Ministry was indignant at the statement. It reminded that the occupied territories are territories of sovereign Azerbaijan and it is impossible to forbid Azerbaijanis to visit the territories, even though at the moment the land is controlled by the illegal occupational regime.

Both Baku and Yerevan realize that the arrested Azerbaijanis cannot be considered as prisoners of war. Armenia has initiated a criminal case against citizens of Azerbaijan Shakhbaz Jalal Oglu Guliyev and Dilkham Gardashkhan Oglu Askerov. They are accused of violation of the state border. It is reported that they had arms and equipment which was used for espionage, according to the General Prosecution of Armenia. However, the age, physical condition and appearance of the “saboteurs” make us doubt the justice of the statements by the Armenian side. They both are untrained 50-year-old people.

It would be funny, if it were not so sad. Obviously, confrontations between Defense Ministries take the situation away from normalization. Someday the war-to-be situation could get out of control. However, the status quo is not beneficial for the sides and mediators, especially Western partners, as the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh makes energy projects in the region unsafe.