Baku analysts assess results of battles at border with Armenia

Military actions that took place on November 16 at the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan provided a tactical advantage for the Azerbaijani armed forces, but at the cost of heavy losses, analysts in Baku say.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on November 16, battles took place at the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Armenian authorities claimed that the Azerbaijani troops tried to move forward, and Baku accused Armenian soldiers of an attempt to seize heights in the border areas. The fighting ended after the negotiations involving the heads of the Armenian and Azerbaijani Ministries of Defence with the Russian Defence Minister. Both parties to the conflict reported losses.

The battles of November 16 ended with the repulse of the offensive of the Armenian armed forces on the border sections in the Lachin and Kelbadjar Districts. Furthermore, the Azerbaijani army captured two unnamed heights on Mount Giziltepe in the west of the Lachin District.

According to a military analyst, when in the spring the Azerbaijani army reached the border with Armenia and began to settle down on the borders, the Armenian troops retained those heights. The analyst believes that Azerbaijan gained a tactical advantage during the battles on November 16.

Telman Abilov, the head of the “Military Lawyers” NGO, believes that the battles ended successfully for Azerbaijan with the capture of two important heights, which opened an overview for observation over a large territory of Armenia. However, according to Telman Abilov, the success was achieved at the expense of significant losses. “Seven killed and ten wounded are the largest losses of Azerbaijan after the 44-day war,” he said.

Meanwhile, Telman Abilov believes that while there is no official agreement on the delimitation and demarcation of the border, Azerbaijan should strengthen its borders.