Azerbaijan vs Armenia [Nagorno-Karabakh conflict]

Today, NKR Defense Minister Movses Hakobyan responded to reporters who asked about recent rumors regarding a possible preemptive strike by Karabakh forces by stating that no such preparations were in the works.

“The NKR Defense Forces are presently engaged in purely defensive measures, ensuring the security of the Karabakh people. But it can’t be ruled out that we will mount an offense if the situation calls for one,” DM Hakobyan declared.

When asked by a “Hetq” reporter if the NKR Defense Forces weren’t preparing to liberate the territories still under Azerbaijani control, like Shahumyan and a portion of Martuni, DM Hakobyan noted, “Naturally, our prime aim is the security of our people which can be ensured from ma defensive posture. But, a defensive war includes defensive measure, attack and counter-attack operations. Rest assured that we have honed all these operations and that corresponding measures are being enacted along these lines.”

The Defense Minister noted that the liberation of the territories in question falls within a general operation that can also be implemented if Azerbaijan resumes military operations. “We are planning for such steps that will force the enemy to once again quickly sit down at the negotiations table.”

DM Hakobyan added that the military capacities of the NKR armed forces are more than adequate to meet any challenges that might arise, adding that this doesn’t mean that they are satisfied with what they have. Parallel to efforts to maintain what we have in a state of military preparedness, we are also procuring new weapons systems and equipment.

DM Hakobyan stressed the air space over the NKR is also satisfactorily protected. He claimed that there isn’t one square meter of Karabakh land that isn’t being monitored and that the NKR is also monitoring enemy air space several kilometers behind its borders.
http://hetq.am/en/karabakh/dm-nkr/

Turk1 wrote:More than adequate. How can Karabahks defences be more than adequate when Azerbaijan has the most powerful military in the region? With us coming from the south NK would be overun in hours.

Azeris must realize that they cannot shake the will of the Karabaghtsis and ignore the reality of Artsakh’s independence. Peace is the only option for them. They must realize that if they decide to attack they must remember:

1.) The Armenians will be on the defensive which means the Azeris will have to mount a major, multi- front offensive. They will need to vastly outnumber the Armenian troops in terms of soldiers, tanks, etc. The Georgians tried this against the vastly outnumbered/outgunned Ossets and after some initial success, due mostly to the element of surprise, were bogged down long enough for reinforcements to arrive...and we know how that ended. The Azeris will mostly be at the disadvantage, their only advantage is the element of surprise but then again this is not going to be much of an advantage for them. The problem for them exists that the Armenians are better experienced, trained, equipped and manned than other military formations in the Caucasus. Additionally, they hold the high ground and can easily view Azeri operations/ troop movements, across the line. On paper, the Azeris might appear stronger but in reality, when combines the forces of Armenia and Artsakh, the Azeris have only a slight edge in troops, equipments, etc. Until the Azeris actually fight successful instead of making threats, they are only paper tigers.

2) If the Azeris are able to breach the initial line of defense, {which will be costly in terms of casualties}, they will still have to cross 2 additional lines which are even more heavily fortified, clear mines, and be able to absorb a massive artillery onslaught for which they will be in the middle of a coordinated trajectory that has been mapped and covered by howitzers, katyushas, strellas, mortars, etc.

3) If they somehow succeed, they will then be bogged down in a mountainous guerrilla war that will ultimately defeat them. The Armenians forces in the region were able to fight successfully this way against combined Azeri-Omon/ Soviet forces prior to the organization of their military with only a handful of dedicated men. It should also be noted that in some areas of Artsakh, tanks are ineffective. Nor will the Azeris be able to bolster their supply lines in such a mountainous area with good cover.

4) The Azeri will be racing against the clock; if they are to miraculously successful, they will need to achieve this not in months or weeks but in mere days. The Armenians will be reinforced almost immediately from Armenia proper.

It should also be noted:

-While the Azeris have been beefing up their military and material, so have the Armenians. Armenia and Artsakh are not resting on their laurels. Russia recently provided and extra billion in equipment, ammo, etc and Armenia has been procuring equipment from various states, not just Russia, at low prices. They have also stockpiled enough fuel and ammo to fight for many months. The last war was a learning experience for the Armenians and they will not forget those lessons in terms of tactics, supply lines, logistics, etc.
If the Azeris have a larger air force, the Armenians counter with a highly-tuned anti-aircraft system. It was true during the first war and true today. The latest anti-aircraft weapons are highly effective and much cheaper to purchase and maintain. The Azeris lost dozens of aircraft during the first war.

- The Armenian military is far more effective, professional and organized that the first war. They are lead by experienced and successful veterans. The soldiers are being educated by men with real know-how. This is invaluable.

- Again, the Armenians will be fighting a defensive war which means they will absorb attacks and inflict damage on the enemy which is easier than coordinating an attack. The Armenians only need to stand firm.

- The Armenians backs will be against the wall if attacked they will have higher morale. Losing will not be an option. In some cases, their families only live a few kilometers from the front.

- If the Azeris attack, investors, business, etc will flee. The war will be bad for everyone in terms of human loss, economy, etc but the Azeris have much more to lose. Not only that, the BTC pipeline will be destroyed or held hostage. Remember, this is in Russia's interest too.

-It is highly likely that if the Azeris attacked they will be defeated and suffer high battle casualties which will result in a demoralized military, disorganization, etc. Then they are open for an Armenian counterattack. This happened during the first war. You can forget Turks helping the Azeris, Russia thwarts that threat and there are no longer any significant Chechen forces left to help the Azeris this time. Nor will the Afghan mujahidin lend a hand this time, they are bogged down against the US and were also totally ineffective against the Armenians in the first war{ as were the Chechens}.

If helter-skelter occurs and the Azeris are somehow manage to subjugate Artsakh, the Armenians have one more trump card up their sleeve and I do believe the Azeri high brass, president know about this but are loathe to say anything......

Turk1 wrote:You are forgetting that Turkey will not stand by again and let our brothers loose more land!

DoubleEagle wrote:

Turk1 wrote:You are forgetting that Turkey will not stand by again and let our brothers loose more land!

Turkey is gonna attack Russians in Armenia? you think?
Turkey will do what they did the first time... watch how we liberate occupied lands.

Turk1 wrote:
You forget we now have an alliance that did not exist then... one nation, two states.

DoubleEagle wrote:

Turk1 wrote:
You forget we now have an alliance that did not exist then... one nation, two states.

There are no pacts between azerbaijan and turkey, never heard about it.
NATO member is going to attack CIS member, yah right.

And i didn't say that turkey's military is weak, you won't be able to attack Armenia that's it.

Aggression against Armenia spells aggression against CSTO
06.08.2009 16:19 GMT+04:00 Print version Send to mail

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “August 2008 events proved use of force brings to no results in resolution of any issue,” CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha said at Moscow-Yerevan video-bridge, commenting on Azerbaijan’s statements on possible military resolution to NKR conflict.

“Active meetings between RA and Azeri Presidents and Foreign Ministers prove parties want to achieve peaceful conflict settlement,” Nikolai Bordyuzha noted, adding that resolution of such a serious issue will take a certain time.

CSTO supports peaceful settlement of NKR conflict, Bordyuzha said, emphasizing that aggression against one of CSTO member stats spells aggression against CSTO as a whole.
http://panarmenian.net/news/eng/?nid=35142&page=1

CSTO Military Alliance ‘Committed to Armenia’s Defense’



YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–Armenia can count on military support from fellow members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in case of a new war with Azerbaijan, the secretary general of the Russian-led defense alliance indicated on Thursday.

“When it comes to war, one has to understand that the CSTO is based on the Collective Security Treaty, Article 4 of which says that an aggression against one of the organization’s member states is an aggression against all member states,” Nikolay Bordyuzha said during a video conference with Armenian journalists. “We will proceed from that.”

Bordyuzha was responding to a question about what the CSTO would do if Azerbaijan, which is not a member of the security pact, were to launch a military campaign against Armenia to win back Nagorno-Karabakh.

The CSTO was set up in the wake of the Soviet collapse and currently comprises Russia and six other ex-Soviet republics: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Yerevan’s membership in the alliance reflects its close military ties with Moscow.

Analysts in Yerevan have long doubted that CSTO member states other than Russia would provide military assistance to Armenia in the event of renewed war in Karabakh. In fact, some of those states, notably Kazakhstan, have voted for Karabakh-related resolutions submitted by Azerbaijan to various international organizations.

“Often times things that are written on paper are not put into practice,” said Tevan Poghosian, chairman of the Armenian Atlantic Association, which promotes closer ties between Armenia and NATO. “Since that agreement [mentioned by Bordyuzha] has never been tested in practice, I wouldn’t put much trust into it.”

Bordyuzha noted with satisfaction that international efforts to settle the Karabakh conflict have made significant progress of late and could soon yield a breakthrough. “I very much hope that the efforts of the Minsk Group, which is working very actively today, and the meetings of the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan will lead to a peaceful resolution of the conflict,” he said. “Everything testifies to that now.”

Bordyuzha would not be drawn on the CSTO’s possible involvement in an international peacekeeping force that would be deployed in the conflict zone should the warring sides agree on a peace plan proposed by the French, Russian and U.S. mediators. “The issue of the participation of peacekeeping forces has never been discussed,” he said. “Besides, I must say that CSTO’s peacekeeping forces are still being formed and will be ready only by the end of this month.”

The Russian official appeared to refer to a NATO-style rapid reaction force which the CSTO members except Belarus and Uzbekistan agreed to form in June. The Armenian government has yet to clarify its contribution to the force officially called the Collective
Operational Reaction Forces (CORF).
http://www.asbarez.com/2009/08/06/military-alliance-%E2%80%98committed-to-armenia%E2%80%99s-defense%E2%80%99/

Turk1 wrote:Yes sure, like Azerbaijan and Turkey are going to fight Kazhakstan, thats funny.

Armenia vs Azerbaijan war. Who would win?

Ogannisyan8887 wrote:Tell me your opinion and explain why.

Nagorno-Karabakh - Wreckage of what Karabakh Armenian forces say was an Azerbaijani drone shot down on September 12, 14Sep2011
14.09.2011
Emil Danielyan
Nagorno-Karabakh’s ethnic Armenian armed forces said on Wednesday that they have shot down an Azerbaijani unmanned military aircraft flying a reconnaissance mission over the disputed territory.

In a written statement, the Karabakh Defense Army said the drone was downed in Karabakh’s eastern Martuni district on Monday as a result of “special measures” taken by its anti-aircraft units.

“Fragments of the destroyed aircraft are at the disposal of the Defense Army’s relevant services,” the statement said. “A commission has been set up to examine details of the incident and an investigation is underway.”

The Karabakh Armenian army also released several pictures of what it described as the drone wreckage.


Nagorno-Karabakh - Wreckage of what Karabakh Armenian forces say was an Azerbaijani drone shot down on September 12, 14Sep2011

Armenia’s Dense Ministry confirmed the information. But there was no immediate official reaction from Azerbaijan.

Armenian and Azerbaijani forces have previously not claimed to have shot down air targets since a May 1994 truce that halted their bitter war for Karabakh. The reported downing of an Azerbaijan unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) could therefore add to growing fears of renewed large-scale fighting between them.

The Karabakh statement said that the Azerbaijani air force has been engaged in “visible activity” along the Armenian-Azerbaijani “line of contact” lately. “In recent days, the enemy’s unmanned aircraft have carried out, with a fairly large frequency, reconnaissance flights along the entire length of the border zone and, in some cases, violated Artsakh’s (Karabakh’s) airspace,” it claimed, adding that Karabakh air-defense forces have taken “adequate steps” in response.


Nagorno-Karabakh - Wreckage of what Karabakh Armenian forces say was an Azerbaijani drone shot down on September 12, 14Sep2011

Azerbaijan is known to have UAVs, most of them reportedly purchased them from Israel. A joint venture set up by the Azerbaijani government and the Israel Aerospace Industries company began assembling Israeli-designed drones in Azerbaijan last March.

Armenia officially announced in June that it too is manufacturing UAVs. Colonel Armen Mkrtchian, deputy commander of the Armenian air force, said they are capable of “carrying out objectives deep inside enemy territory.”

The drones apparently designed by Armenian engineers are expected to be put on display during a military parade in Yerevan scheduled for September 21.