Exercises in Azerbaijan define prospects of attacking Karabakh

The Azerbaijani Army is mastering offensive operations in conditions close to the situation at the Karabakh frontline; this is a demonstration of readiness for a forceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict, Baku military analysts believe.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on March 11, Azerbaijan began large-scale exercises with the participation of 10,000 servicemen; they will last until March 15. The scenario assumes an offensive operation.

The scenario can be implemented in practice, said Shair Ramaldanov, a retired colonel, a former corps commander. "I think that this is one of the options that can be used if Azerbaijan is forced to liberate the occupied lands by force, and restore its territorial integrity," he said.

According to his version, the exercises are held in the conditions as close as possible to those of possible military actions in Karabakh.

The exercises are routine and pre-planned, but at the same time they intend to remind the opponent of the reality of the new escalation, said Togrul Djuvarly, a Baku-based analyst and a member of the Azerbaijan National Public Committee for European Integration (ANPCEI). The likely new escalation of the Karabakh conflict can outweigh the "April war" of 2016, he believes.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 13, 2019 at 07:40 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.