Azernews.Az

The recent outbreak of fighting on the Line of Contact separating Armenian and Azerbaijani troops has sparked deep concerns of renewed fighting between the two countries.

The international community voiced concern and called the parties involved in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to refrain from use of force and to abide by the ceasefire agreement.

Tensions along the frontline were aggravated as Armenian armed forces attacked Azerbaijani positions. Armenia began to escalate tensions on the border areas on July 31. Sporadic fighting has continued ever since. Thirteen Azerbaijani servicemen were killed and several others injured during the clashes between two sides.

Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry said units of Azerbaijani armed forces have repelled enemy attacks. Armenian forces retreated after fierce fighting and suffering from heavy losses. Armenia hasn't released yet the exact number of casualties.

Defying international calls, Armenia continues its provocative moves along the frontline.

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said the contact line is under full control of Azerbaijani forces.

Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan said the possibility of waging a war in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone is "low."

Experts believe that Armenia is not ready to wage a war against Azerbaijan.

Georgian political analyst Guram Marxulia said "Armenia is afraid of any war against Azerbaijan."

"Armenia is wary of Azerbaijan's military power as it is grappling with economic difficulties," Marxulia told AzerNews.

He noted that Armenia is not ready for a long-lasting war.

Marxulia said recent clashes demonstrated Azerbaijan's capability to restore its territorial integrity within hours.

Commenting on the upcoming meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents in Sochi, the analyst said he doesn't expect any significant results.

"Armenia will ask for a timeout during the meeting, as it is not ready to fight," Marxulia noted.

Earlier, Armenian official said Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan will meet in Sochi on August 8 or 9 to hold negotiations on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement.

Marxulia also touched upon the Azerbaijanis taken hostage by the Armenians in Azerbaijan's occupied Kalbajar region.

He said the international organizations should force Armenia to release Azerbaijani hostages.

"Armenia has embroiled Azerbaijani civilians into the conflict, which is unacceptable. International organizations should impose sanctions against Armenia," he concluded.

Three Azerbaijani civilians (Russian citizen Dilgam Asgarov, Azerbaijani citizens Shahbaz Guliyev and Hasan Hasanov) were detained by Armenian forces in early July while they were visiting the graves of their late relatives.

Armenia violated the international legal norms by taking hostage the Azerbaijani civilians as they didn't violate any border law between Armenia and Azerbaijan. They were on their own native Kalbajar region.

ICRC Baku office reported that Hasan Hasanov was buried in Nagorno-Karabakh after being killed by Armenian forces.

Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor that caused a brutal war in the early 1990s. Long-standing efforts by U.S., Russian and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far.

As a result of the military aggression of Armenia, over 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed, 4,866 are reported missing and almost 100,000 were injured, and 50,000 were disabled.

The UN Security Council has passed four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been enforced to this day.