STANDOFF OVER NAGORNO-KARABAKH REGION REMAINS A POTENTIAL FLASHPOINT - US INTELLIGENCE CHIEF

NEWS.AM
March 13, 2013 | 14:06

The standoff between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh
region remains a potential flashpoint, says the report issued by
director of National Intelligence James Clapper.

"The standoff between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the Armenian-occupied
Nagorno-Karabakh region remains a potential flashpoint. Heightened
rhetoric, distrust on both sides, and recurring violence along the
Line of Contact increase the risk of miscalculations that could
escalate the situation with little warning," the report says.

As regards Georgia, the report mentions that the victory of Prime
Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili's Georgian Dream party in the October
2012 parliamentary elections, offer new hope for easing bilateral
Russian-Georgian tensions.

"However, after nearly a decade of President Mikheil Saakashvili's
United National Movement party rule, Georgia faces a challenging
political transition and an increased risk of domestic political
instability," the report says.