Myth about “Azerbaijan’s powerful army”March 18, 2013 - 19:19 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Azerbaijanis, including the president and officials, continuously issue statements, dubbing Azeri army the “strongest” in the region, able to seize Nagorno Karabakh and even Armenia. Usually the emphasis is placed on the enormous amounts of arms that Baku purchases and produces, as well as the “professionalism” of Azeri soldiers. However, all these statements are periodically countered by the research of regional and international organizations, with The Military Balance 2013 report by The International Institute for Strategic Studies (ISS) among them. The authors of the report assessed the combat readiness of both Armenian and Azerbaijani armies, with experts giving higher assessment to Armenian army. “Armenian armed forces have a clear idea of the goals and challenges they face. The number of the professional soldiers serving on a contract basis keeps growing, despite the maintenance of compulsory military service. The service and overall performance are the key problems of the Armenian air forces. For this reason, Russia, through the leased airbase, ensures the protection of the country’s airspace,” the report reads. As for the Azerbaijani armed forces, the authors wrote, “Azeri army can’t achieve a clear advantage in the air. This may become a serious risk factor during possible hostilities in Karabakh. The oil reserves enabled Azerbaijan to purchase advanced S-300 systems. However, it’s still vague how it will help Baku boost its combat capabilities,” the report reads. IISS report reaffirmed that all statements about “Azerbaijan’s “powerful, unconquerable and professional army” are issued exclusively for domestic consumers. As they say, there are no arguments against the facts. Top stories Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. Partner news | Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. Armenia, Russia discuss life extension of Metsamor nuclear plant Issues regarding the extension of life of the 2nd power unit of the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant were discussed in Yerevan. Armenians stage more campaigns against territorial concessions to Azerbaijan Protesters blocked more roads across Armenia on Friday, April 26 in continuing attempts to scuttle territorial concessions to Azerbaijan. Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. |