ArmInfo. Given that military escalations, which alternate with negotiations and diplomatic summits, have long and firmly become an important element of the peace process, the July outbreak in Karabakh is not the first and, most likely, not the last. A similar opinion was expressed by ArmInfo Russian analyst Sergei Markedonov.
July was marked by another burst of violence on the contact line between Artsakh and Azerbaijani troops. Against the backdrop of numerous violations of the cease-fire regime, the events of July 4 and 7 were particularly noteworthy. Initiator, accompanied by victims, including among the civilian population, the heating of the situation is traditionally the leadership of Azerbaijan. However, Yerevan and Baku give their version of events, and the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, avoiding unambiguous assessments, emphasize the inadmissibility of military incidents.
According to analysts, Armenia and Azerbaijan are taking advantage of armed aggravations. In particular, in Baku, with the help of forceful pressure, they try to change the position of the co-chairing countries of the Minsk Group in their favor. Azerbaijan believes that balancing on the verge of a big war and permanent military alarm should push Russia, the United States and France, and Iran to the idea of increasing pressure on Armenia to force Yerevan to make concessions to prevent regional instability. Yerevan's readiness for negotiations, against the backdrop of regular ceasefire violations, Baku, according to the analyst's estimates, is trying to be presented as a visible proof of the willingness of the Armenian sides to abandon the maximalist attitudes. At the same time, in his opinion, the extent to which such a representation corresponds to reality is a completely different matter, since there is no solid evidence in favor of the Baku version.
According to Markedonov, Armenia, in turn, demonstrates the incompetence of Baku, its exceptional commitment to power. He stressed that the Armenian politicians and diplomats after the "four-day war" already habitually compare Azerbaijan with the terrorist group "Islamic state". At the same time, neither Baku nor Yerevan reject the negotiating process, in principle, even after new outbreaks of violence and casualties on the contact line.