Richard Giragosian: War in Karabakh conflict zone is more than realistic

The recognition of Karabakh's independence by the State of Massachusetts demonstrates the importance of Nagorno-Karabakh to Washington, Head of the Regional Studies Center Richard Giragosian said at a press conference.

He recalled that in June 2012 the State of Rhode Island also adopted a similar resolution on Nagorno- Karabakh. These two resolutions are the evidence of Washington's interest in the Karabakh issue, he said.  The expert also stressed that the Karabakh conflict is of more interest to the United States than the other frozen conflicts.  

When speaking of possible developments in the Karabakh peace process, the expert said that Azerbaijan's aggression and the increase of its military potential create additional tension in the conflict zone. This is a signal for both Armenia and the international community. Giragosian added that the relations between Ankara and Baku, which have recently worsened, also make the situation tense in the region. In this context, the expert thinks that military actions in the  Karabakh conflict zone are more than probable.  

The expert thinks that the OSCE Minsk Group format for the Karabakh  peace process is a deadlock. He said that the OSCE MG is only to maintain the diplomatic aspect of the peace process and to prevent  possible unleashing of military actions. He also stressed that despite the OSCE MG's efforts, the conflicting parties maintain their  own approaches on the basic components of the Karabakh problem.  

As regards the domestic political situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, Giragosian stressed that despite the democratic presidential elections on July 19 2012, the NKR still faces a complicated  socio-economic situation and high-level corruption.