YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. Ruben Safrastyan, expert on Turkish studies, director of the Oriental Institute, doesn’t rule out that Azerbaijan can intensify the military operations on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border by gaining the trust of its people and strengthening the aggressive rhetoric before the elections, reports Armenpress.

“We must not lose our vigilance as we are a neighbor to a country which openly announces that it is ready to launch an aggression against Armenia and Artsakh. Vigilance is always vital for us”, he said.

Ruben Safrastyan said Azerbaijan with all possible measures blows the mediation mission of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs. “I don’t think that at the moment Azerbaijan has a wish to withdraw from the Minsk Group’s negotiation process, I suppose after April it will try to take some advantage in the negotiation process”, Ruben Safrastyan said, adding that the situation in Azerbaijan can become tense also in connection with the events in Syria. “Pressures are getting stronger in Azerbaijan, and this worries Aliyev”, he said.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on holding snap presidential elections on April 11, 2018.