Azerbaijan will seek to continue pressurizing Armenia - Ruben  Mehrabyan

ArmInfo. Azerbaijan will seek to continue pressurizing Armenia, Ruben Mehrabyan of the Armenian Institute of International and Security Affairs told ArmInfo. 

"It should be stressed that Armenia's getting rid of this coercion  and blackmail is not at all in the interests of Russia, the principal  mediator between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Russia is perceived as the  only agent capable of saving the situation. Baku, in turn, is seeking  the opportunities and right to open fire at any moment. And this is  the reason for Aliyev's rejection of Armenia's proposal for mutual  withdrawal of forces," Mr Mehrabyan said. 

According to him, under the circumstances Russia exerts influence on  Azerbaijan only over the issues that are part of its, Russia's, own  agenda, with Baku meekly obeying, whereas no pressure is being  exerted on Azerbaijan in Armenia's interests. This being so, the  United States and France can only find partial solutions to some  issues, while a definitive and expeditious solution is only possible  provided Yerevan displays initiatives, which is extremely difficult  with Russia exercising its hegemony, Mr Mehrabyan said.  

He points out France's decisive role in the handover of eight  Armenian POWs to Armenia, especially in the context of an unfavorable  international situation Baku found itself in. And amid Azerbaijan's  aspiration to harmonize its relations with the European Union, Paris  timed its appeal for handing over the POWs. 

"We realize that, with these factors considered, expeditious  delimitation and demarcation of the Armenian- Azerbaijani border is,  beyond doubt, in our interests. The problem is that for the process  to get under way Azerbaijan must stop firing - but it is unwilling  to. They are acting at will, with no one yet going to talk some sense  into them," Mr Mehrabyan said.