ALIYEV UNDERSTANDS QUITE WELL THAT HIS ARMY CANNOT WAGE A WAR: MELIK-SHAHNAZARYAN

Tert
Nov 23 2009
Armenia

The meeting between Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents in Munich
became one of those meetings that didn’t even register the slightest
outcome, said political analyst Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan, while
providing his comments on the meeting upon Tert.am’s request.

He stated that no progress can be recorded in the conflict settlement
negotiations because of the reason that the parties have contradictory
views over two issues: the status of Nagorno-Karabakh and the return
of refugees. "There is no agreement over these two basic issues,"
Melik-Shanazaryan mentioned.

In the analyst’s opinion, the problem is not so much the lack of a
result after the meeting, which was expected and logical, but rather
the fact that, according to Melik-Shanazaryan, Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev is now in a difficult situation, both politically and
morally. The analyst considers the bellicose statement directed
against Armenia, which was made just one day before the meeting,
not to be a threat but blackmail directed to the world. According to
Melik-Shanazaryan, the statement addressed to the world was blackmail
because of the reason that Azerbaijan understands very well that
starting a war in the region is not advantageous for anyone today.

"Aliyev understands quite well that his army cannot wage a war. He
understands that by starting a war, he will close that short page of
his state’s history," Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan stated. At the same
time, he stated that the situation will change because Azerbaijan is
becoming stronger, and in response, the Armenian side must strengthen
and care for its army, which "is the only large and serious guarantee
of Armenia’s security."