10,000 soldiers, 80 tanks, 300 armored vehicles, over 100 artillery systems, 20 combat jets, up to 20 combat and transport helicopters are taking part in the military drills in the Agdam and the Barda districts for the third day. Defense Minister Colonel-General Zakir Gasanov is in charge of the training process.
Uzeir Jafarov, a military expert, called the drills regular annual training. The only peculiarity of the drills this year, he said, was involvement of 3,000 reservists. Jafarov reminded that there had been mass drills of over 20,000 soldiers in Nakhchivan this year. The analyst ruled out speculations about preparations of Azerbaijan for war.
Vladimir Yevseyev, head of the Caucasus section at the Institute of CIS Countries, supposes that the drills were provoked by escalation of tensions on the border of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. The expert speculates that Azerbaijan was training for a scenario of 10,000 soldiers taking back Nagorno-Karabakh. Yevseyev considers such a scenario justified. He predicts that Armenia will organize drills to stabilize the situation.
10,000 soldiers, 80 tanks, 300 armored vehicles, over 100 artillery systems, 20 combat jets, up to 20 combat and transport helicopters are taking part in the military drills in the Agdam and the Barda districts for the third day. Defense Minister Colonel-General Zakir Gasanov is in charge of the training process.Uzeir Jafarov, a military expert, called the drills regular annual training. The only peculiarity of the drills this year, he said, was involvement of 3,000 reservists. Jafarov reminded that there had been mass drills of over 20,000 soldiers in Nakhchivan this year. The analyst ruled out speculations about preparations of Azerbaijan for war.Vladimir Yevseyev, head of the Caucasus section at the Institute of CIS Countries, supposes that the drills were provoked by escalation of tensions on the border of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. The expert speculates that Azerbaijan was training for a scenario of 10,000 soldiers taking back Nagorno-Karabakh. Yevseyev considers such scenario justified. He predicts that Armenia will organize drills to stabilize the situation
