STEPANAKERT (Armenpress)–In an interview with the RFE/RL correspondent Mumin Shakirov–shown by Artsakh state television in Nagorno Karabakh–its President Arkady Goukassian–denounced the nationalistic rhetoric coming out of Azerbaijan–claiming that Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan. He attributed it mainly to Azerbaijan’s unstable domestic situation.
"This is mere blackmail. Every sensible politician in Azerbaijan understands that war is senseless and they also understand that they have no chance at winning such a war. Azerbaijan will face a catastrophic situation if it initiates a war," he said.
According to Ghoukassian–Azerbaijani authorities are trying to achieve three goals through this war propaganda. First–they want to strengthen their position at home; secondly–they want to intimidate Karabakh; and thirdly–they are trying to pressure the states that have the political resources to influence the peace process–like Russia–the US–and France (cochairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group–who are acting as mediators in trying to resolve the Karabakh conflict).