Tensions along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and “the line of contact” around Karabakh have been steadily rising despite major progress reportedly made in peace talks between Baku and Yerevan. The conflicting sides accuse each other of violating the ceasefire on a virtually daily basis.
Baku regularly claims that Azerbaijani troops opened fire to stop Karabakh Armenian forces from fortifying their positions. The authorities in Stepanakert dismiss this as a smokescreen for justifying systematic Azerbaijani gunfire at Karabakh farmers and their tractors engaged in agricultural work.
Sergei Ghazarian, the Karabakh foreign minister, said the Azerbaijani claims are not borne out by daily news bulletins released by Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh.
“This is just an attempt to exert pressure on the Armenian side, the Artsakh side with such false allegations and try to use this for justifying a possible escalation,” Ghazarian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.
“Unfortunately, I have to point out that the likelihood of various kinds of tensions and escalations is quite high,” he said. “These new episodes fit into that logic.”
Armenian officials and pundits likewise claim that Baku is ratcheting up the tensions in a bid to clinch more Armenian concessions.
On May 28, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev threatened the Karabakh Armenians with fresh military action. He said they must dissolve their government bodies and unconditionally accept Azerbaijani rule.
“Everyone knows that we can carry out any [military] operation in that territory,” Aliyev warned.