2016 April events prove risky situation in NK conflict zone – deputy FM Kocharyan on US national intelligence report

Deputy minister of foreign affairs of Armenia Shavarsh Kocharyan says he agrees with the assessment of the US national intelligence which said in a report that there is a risk of hostilities in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict zone. “It is obvious for anyone. The 2016 April events prove this”, he said, speaking to reporters after today’s Cabinet meeting.

Shavarsh Kocharyan stressed that Armenia and Artsakh are always ready to any kind of developments.

In terms of being ready for negotiations, Kocharyan said: “It is enough to mention the Azerbaijani President’s latest speech, which definitely shows who is ready for what, who isn’t ready to move forward in the negotiations process”.

Kocharyan mentioned that with that speech, Aliyev brilliantly proved that Nagorno Karabakh cannot anyhow be a part of Azerbaijan, and that the international recognition of Artsakh is unavoidable.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence of the United States released February 13 the global Annual Threat Assessment report.

The report also addressed the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, where the US sees risks of hostilities in 2018.

In particular, the report mentions that tensions over Nagorno Karabakh can devolve into a large-scale military conflict, which can draw in Russia to support its regional ally.

According to the US National Intelligence, both sides’ reluctance to compromise, Azerbaijan’s steady military modernization, Armenia’s acquisition of new Russian equipment sustain the risk of large-scale hostilities in 2018.