Baku blackmails West with joining another “bloc” unless it pressures Armenia

May 1, 2012 - 15:56 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Azerbaijan, which keeps violating the ceasefire through shelling an Armenian village and killing soldiers, has exceeded the limits, resorting to its favorite method: blackmail.

“Azerbaijan may rethink its pro-Western stance and realign with “a new bloc” if it doesn’t get more support, particularly regarding Nagorno Karabakh conflict,” Bloomberg Businessweek quoted head of foreign relations department of Azerbaijani President’s administration as saying.

“The Caspian Sea nation wants Europe and the U.S. to exert pressure on Armenia,” Novruz Mammadov said.

According to him, “Azerbaijan has already received a proposal to join another political union.”

“We aren’t paying attention to those proposals for now. But if it continues like this, we may consider it in five to ten years. We’re expecting help from the West on the Karabakh issue,” Mammadov said, reminding the “West” that 35% of NATO supplies to Afghanistan is implemented through Azerbaijan.

It only remains to make forecasts over the “new bloc” Azerbaijan may join and the West’s reaction at Azeri blackmail.

Meanwhile, Europe and the U.S. are likely to swallow another bitter pill from Baku. They are likely to promise the Azerbaijan’s government to exert pressure on Armenia, while publicly continuing the negotiations, hoping that the problem behind Azeri statement will somehow “get resolved.” However, it is not ruled out that a new war may mark the start of Azerbaijan’s demise.

Below is presented chronology of events of the past week.

On April 25, ceasefire violation by Azerbaijani armed forces was registered in the north-eastern region of the contact line between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani side opened fire from various caliber weapons towards the Armenian positions in village of Doveg, Armenia’s Tavush province.

The shelling left the local kindergarten and a GAZ-53 truck damaged. The children and staff of the kindergarten were evacuated for security purposes. As a result of retaliatory measures by the Armenian armed forces, the Azerbaijani side was forced to stop the fire.

On April 27, 4:15 am local time VAZ 2107 car belonging to an Armenian serviceman was shelled on the road to the village of Aygepar in Tavush province of Armenia. As a result the driver and two other servicemen were wounded, Armenian Defense Ministry's press service reports.

Despite the measures taken, the two servicemen died on the way to military hospital of Berd settlement, with another hospitalized.

A criminal case has been instigated under Article 104 of RA Criminal Code. Investigation is under way.

On April 30, another Azeri ceasefire violation was recorded in Tavush province. Fortunately, it claimed no victims this time.