Secretary of State warns. Will another conflict break out?

The US Secretary of State announced that Washington is closely monitoring recent tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Antony Blinken indicated that Baku might soon attack Yerevan - pointed out two people familiar with the matter, quoted by Politico.

The American portal emphasizes that "this indicates the deep concern of the Biden administration over Azerbaijan's actions against the separatist region in the west of the country, and also the possibility of escalating the conflict".

The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, had earlier called on authorities in Yerevan to establish a "corridor" along the southern border of the country. It would connect mainland Azerbaijan with an exclave bordering Turkey and Iran. Aliyev threatened that if his demands are not met, he will resolve the issue "by force".

In early October, American officials were pressing Blinken to put pressure on Baku in response to his country's earlier invasion of the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

The US Secretary of State has indicated, however, that Washington is considering such a solution, but does not plan to get involved in the conflict.

Blinken emphasized that American diplomats are participating in talks in Baku and Yerevan. Politico sources confirmed that a meeting about the situation between the countries took place, but did not provide details. In an official State Department statement, they declined to comment on the matter, but emphasized the commitment to "sovereignty and territorial integrity of Armenia" and resolving the conflict through "direct talks".

Member of the United States House of Representatives, Frank Pallone, referred to the escalating tensions between countries on Wednesday.

"Aliyev is moving forward with his goal of taking over southern Armenia. There is no doubt that his regime is emboldened after suffering minor consequences for the invasion of Artsakh (Republic of Mountainous Karabakh - editor's note). I have called on the U.S. State Department to take specific actions against Azerbaijan, including sanctions," he stated on Twitter.

Azerbaijan conducted a 24-hour offensive on September 19, after which the forces of the separatist Mountainous Karabakh laid down their arms. The authorities of the unrecognized republic, which declared independence 30 years ago, announced the dissolution of the quasi-state structures from January 1, 2024.

On September 20th, Blinken was "deeply concerned about the military actions of Azerbaijan" and stated that "the use of force to resolve disputes is unacceptable."

However, the mountainous Nagorno-Karabakh is not the only territorial dispute between the two Caucasus countries - highlights Politico. Baku has proposed a route to the exclave of Nakhichevan, which would cross the province of Syunik in Armenia and allow road traffic to bypass Iran. Aliyev announced that Baku will "implement the Zangezur Corridor, whether Armenia wants it or not."

- In Armenia, it is seen as territorial claims and a demand for an extraterritorial corridor - emphasized on Wednesday the head of government in Yerevan, Nikol Pashinyan.

Hikmet Hajiyev, senior policy advisor to Aliyev, denied that Azerbaijan has any claims on Armenian territory. He emphasized that "the risk of conflict between the countries is small, as "the last two weeks have been the calmest weeks in the history of relations"."

In the context of the recent conflict in Mountainous Karabakh, Hadzhiyev stated that "Azerbaijan has restored what from a legal, historical, and moral point of view belonged to it".