On January 23, Sochi hosted yet another meeting between Armenian and Azeri presidents mediated by Russia. As usual, the three presidents issued one of their neutral statements, with mediators noting progress in positions of conflicting parties, while the experts on each side went on to stress the diplomatic success of their countries’ leadership.

Recent Sochi-hosted meeting strikes one as a déjà vu, with the joint presidential statement once again urging for investigation of incidents at contact line. However, the continued deaths and injuries over Azeri ceasefire violation and retaliation of Armenian forces came as a proof of the inconsistency of the statement.

According to January 2012 statement, “Presidents of Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia took into consideration the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs report on investigation of incidents at contact line and instructed relevant bodies to continue working in this direction.”

Thus, until the co-chairs pressure Baku into pulling Azeri snipers from contact line and abandon subversion attempts, losses on both sides are inevitable.

OSCE MG and the international community as well show remarkable restraint towards Azerbaijan. The official Baku being the only party keeping up the military rhetoric, while continuing to violate the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), the mediators, curiously enough, call on both parties to abandon bellicose statements and promote peaceful settlement. (Any example of Armenian official threatening to start a war?)

Taking the connivance of mediators as silent approval, Baku continues preparing the Azeri society for a war.