"Everything goes towards it when the weather conditions this summer will be available, Baku will start a full-scale war in Karabakh."

Armenian military expert Van Ambarsumyan said in a statement to news.am. According to him, since April 2018, Azerbaijan is deploying its ground troops on the contact line.

Eurasia Diary appealed to the military expert, Colonel Shair Ramaldanov, to comment on the statement of the Armenian military expert.

- The Armenian expert Van Ambarsumyan's statements on the current situation on the frontline and the readiness of the Azerbaijani army grabs the attention of both societies. What is your attitude?

- Yes, Ambarsumyan is right at some point. Indeed, the Azerbaijani army's strength grows in the frontline day by day more explicitly and extends military-technical supplies to the army. It is carried out by the order of the President of Azerbaijan. By the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, our army is in a state of full combat readiness, and the main purpose here is to protect Azerbaijan's self-defense and, if necessary, to liberate its lands from occupation.

The mistake of the Armenian expert's opinion is that the Azerbaijani army is preparing to carry out military operations in spring or summer. Professional servicemen are well aware that such issues are considered as military secrets and are kept confidential. As President repeatedly pointed out, Azerbaijan is trying to return its lands peacefully. However, the non-constructive position of the other party can make Azerbaijan do something that he does not want. The enemy is aware of the power of the Azerbaijani army and knows that such a position can lead to the abyss.

- What is the transfer of the border with Armenia to the State Border Service in the territory of Gazakh and Aghstafa?

- It was a long-planned plan. Under the decision of the President of Azerbaijan, the border posts in Aghstafa and Gazakh were transferred to the SBC. This decision is, in fact, a manifestation of the peacekeeping intent of the Head of State. Because the State Border Service is not an attack but a defensive structure. With this decision Azerbaijan declares to the world that it has no aggression against any state and does not claim any territory of any state. The sole aim of Azerbaijan is to liberate the occupied territories. SBC has been successfully implementing all the tasks assigned to it for many years, and I think it will maintain the border with Armenia, as well as personnel, as well as technical supplies and other border areas.

- In recent months, the number of deaths and injuries in a non-combat situation has significantly increased in the Armenian army. After the withdrawal of the Karabakh clan and their senior officers, the Armenian army experienced serious discipline problems. How would you evaluate that?

- The problems in the Armenian army are more connected with the social and psychological situation in society. For years, Armenian youth has been serving military service in lands that do not belong to them, and some of them die here and they are injured. Especially after the April fights, Armenians began to worry about such a question: "Why should we die for the land of another?" This is one of the frequent voices of soldiers and other social activists in regular actions in Armenia. Armenian youth do not want to serve in Karabakh and fairly are afraid to risk their lives. The problem of material and technical supply of the army, the arbitrariness of the officer staff and, mainly, the "irresponsibility" of young people in Karabakh, is one of the main reasons for the discipline problem.

- The number of ceasefire violations has dropped considerably. How do you link it?

-  It links with the successful policy of the President of Azerbaijan. When Pashinyan came to power, he often spoke positively on the Karabakh issue, saying that Azerbaijan had to compromise for solving the problem, and separatist founders of the so-called third party had to take part. These ideas, of course, further aggravate the situation on the contact line. The Commander-in-Chief noted that if the Armenian government does not change the non-constructive position in the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijan will not be responsible for any probable incident on the contact line. It was this idea that such a determined position forced the opposite side to step back and the agreement reached after the Dushanbe meeting laid the foundation for the stability of the contact line.

Interviewed by Nicat Ismayilov

Eurasia Diary

• Tags:
• Armenia
• Azerbaijan
• Karabakh