Azerbaijan not likely to resort to military operations - Arman Melikyan

Despite its belligerent statements, Azerbaijan is unlikely to resort to military operations within a year, according to Arman Melikyan, a former foreign minister of Nagorno Karabakh.

At a news conference on Friday, he spoke of the possible developments in the Karabakh settlement talks. He said a determining factor in the process would be Russia's policy - whether on the western or eastern front, while Azerbaijan would seek only to take more active efforts in the international arena.

"I expect a number of specific and serious geopolitical decisions and solutions that will definitely change the timeframes of the Karabakh conflict settlement," he said.

"The United States, together with its closest allies, has to decide on the admissibility or permissibility of Russia's integration in the European Union. That will also affect the Russian-Turkish and Armenian-Turkish relations, as well as the Nagorno Karabakh issue," the politician added.