Robert Cekuta: Current situation in Karabakh could potentially engage outside powers

"By international law, Armenia invaded and occupied the sovereign territory of another sovereign state, Azerbaijan."

According to Report, Richard Hoagland, a former US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, stated in the article "the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict continues despite calls for peace" published by the Caspian Policy Center.

Tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan have been building during the past few months due to Armenia's direct attacks on the internationally-recognized Armenia-Azerbaijan state border. As underscored by Caspian Policy Center Advisor Ambassador Richard Hoagland, these military incidents were unusual because of their location on Armenia's and Azerbaijan's international border near the Tovuz district, and not on the OSCE-monitored Line of Contact. The Armenian side initiated the first outbreak in the region on July 12, and a second, smaller conflict erupted on September 21, resulting in the death of an Azerbaijani Junior Sergeant.

Former Ambassador to Azerbaijan Robert Cekuta also noted that the current situation could potentially engage outside powers. Ambassador Cekuta explained that there are press reports of suspicious shipments of probable military items from Iran into Armenia.

The occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding territories undermines peace and security in Europe. The US should be taking an active role in bringing the parties to make progress towards a solution.