In case of possible war Turkey-Azerbaijan unity will be recorded: Styopa Safaryan

The dynamics of Turkey-Azerbaijan joint military exercises seems to Styopa Safaryan, founder and head of the Armenian Institute of International and Security Affairs (AIISA), resembles 2014, when a range of similar military exercises were launched. “Currently escalation seems to be more in that field. Of course, incidents are also serious as in very 2014 again frequent acts of sabotage, infringement against civilian settlements was recorded. Currently Azerbaijan attempts to so to speak test the threat of a wide-scale war. Of course, it’s difficult to insist that it’ll go to that step, however, compared with 2016, currently it adopted that model of threatening with analogy of 2014.”

According to the political scientist Turkey obviously shows that in Artsakh issue it supports Azerbaijan, “During 2014 military exercises Turkish-Azerbaijani sides were even touching upon establishing CSTO 2 and etc., however, Georgia, which was participating in those military trainings, with its balanced posture didn’t allow such direction to develop. Currently we have only Turkey and Azerbaijan, which this time speak in a more open text, than during the military exercises planned in summer 2014.”

Accordingly, in his words, the message of all military trainings is that probably in case of war Turkey-Azerbaijan unity will be recorded, Turkey will support Azerbaijan.

Davit Babayan, spokesman of the President of the Republic of Artsakh, told 168.am, that this is also a message to NATO, as according to him by that policy Turkey sets NATO up. “NATO representatives have repeatedly stated on necessity of peaceful settlement, maintenance of peace and stability, however by its activities Turkey undermines all, goes against NATO’s interest. This is a message to the entire civilized world,” he said.

Styopa Safaryan shares this view, ”Formerly—in 2014,they again attempted to adjust military exercises within military purposes declared by the West and NATO, which was not about launching war with Armenia, but at best could be a scenario on provision of security if energy resources, defending from a hypothetic threat. In the period, when Turkey’s relations with the West weren’t so bad, however, that smokescreen was provided.

Currently, when Turkey and Azerbaijan are intractable states regarding international responsibilities, they don’t hide, current occurrences are a glove to regional security, also to NATO, if such threat becomes a reality, of course, NATO will come across with no less complicated issues.”

At the same time, he notices that it isn’t so that the international community doesn’t follow all this and won’t draw conclusions, “By this message military exercises obviously worsen security environment in the South Caucasus. They see it in NATO, they follow and comprehend, and they won’t allow it to have practical manifestation.”

By Razmik Martirosyan