Azerbaijani Military Trainings—Pressure against Armenia
Prior to Sargsyan-Putin-Aliyev meeting—on June 19, armed forced of Azerbaijan, according to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry, pursuant preparation plan 2016, have launched military trainings near Karabakh-Azerbaijan contact line, in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, as well as in Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea. About 25 thousand militants, more than 300 tanks and armored vehicles, more than 100 missile and artillery systems, up to 40 units of military aviation and more than 30 air defense complexes, as well as naval ships and special forces have been included in the military trainings headed by Zakir Hasanov, Azerbaijani Defense Minister.
Reflection of RA Ministry of Defense didn’t make us wait. RA MOD cited point 40.1.1 of Chapter 5 of the Vienna document of 2011, according to which military trainings are subject to declaration, if 1. At least 9000 people are engaged, including support troops, or, 2. At least 250 tanks, or, 3. At least 500 military armored vehicles, or, 4. At least 250 self-propelled artillery, rocket launchers (100mm and more).
“During the debates on modernization of Vienna Document of 2011 the countries agreed to declare the military training, which is defined not by ceilings, but is considered the largest, as presently countries implementing largest military trainings are unique. At the same time, pursuant point 66, part VIII of Vienna Document (2011), if in the reporting year besides initially declared military trainings, the participating country planned to implement larger military trainings, then it’s obliged to inform all the countries upon defined order.”
According to the Defense Ministry, it wasn’t notified to the participating countries of the military trainings to be launched in Nakhchivan in the period of June 17-24.
Artsrun Hovhannisyan, press speaker of RA Defense Ministry, stated that one shouldn’t be afraid of military trainings on account of the circumstance that the Armenian forces don’t lose their sobriety and are controlling the situation.
However, military and political analysts managed to focus on the period of military trainings, which, basically coincided with the trilateral Sargsyan-Putin-Aliyev summit, prior to which Ilham Aliyev, president of Azerbaijan, by a few public speeches called to launch content negotiations, as, in his words, Azerbaijan doesn’t intend to continue senseless negotiations.
“If anybody considers that we need to continue useless negotiations for more 20 years, they are mistaken,” threatened Ilham Aliyev at the dinner on the occasion of Ramadan.
The widely spread opinion among Armenian expert community was best unified by David Babayan, press speaker of NKR president, who touching upon the military trainings said, “The period chosen for such military trainings is incomprehensible. Azerbaijan regularly launched such military trainings, like we do in Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia. The period is inapprehensible, moreover, it’ll be on the border of Karabakh and Armenia.”
In his words planning of a military training “is an attempt to show power.” “To some extent this is also manifestation of blackmail to the international community. It’s incomprehensible why both military trainings and Formula 1 are being launched there. Probably this is also an attempt to attach the attention of more people and introduce Azerbaijan as a powerful state,” the spokesman said. Pavel Felgenhauer, Russian analyst, told 168.am that Azerbaijan rather extended its military potential due to purchase of armaments through recent years. In his words, military trainings provide the opportunity to show that power to the world, in particular to its adversary Armenia.
“Military trainings prior to another presidential meeting, obviously contain a message, as they are held at the contact line and in Nakhchivan, which, naturally, couldn’t slip attention of the Armenian side. Hope of Azerbaijan, to all probabilities, was that. Azerbaijan intended to exert pressure against the Armenian side prior to presidential summit, gathering some means at the contact line, by that psychologically passing anxiety to the adversary, that the latter made some concessions in negotiations,” Felgenhauer said, adding that such military trainings may be launched choosing their period as appropriate. In the latter’s conviction the experience of such military trainings showed that they usually don’t have implications and don’t provide an outcome.
The Russian analyst doesn’t exclude that observation by the Armenian side is right, as he doesn’t know whether proper awareness activities were carried out or no.
“If there was no any statement it’ll have its proper reflection on account of the very Vienna Document. It proves once again that a speedy decision was made,” the analyst said.
By Araks Martirosyan
