Stavridis: NATO intelligence showed Armenians would defeat Azerbaijanis in serious conflict

PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. Navy admiral and former supreme allied commander of NATO James Stavridis has revealed that according to NATO intelligence assessments, Armenians would defeat Azerbaijanis in the event of a serious conflict.

"What may seem to many Westerners a minor clash in a remote corner of the world actually has significant implications for regional security, energy markets and the ambitions of two problematic strongmen: Vladimir Putin of Russia and Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey," Stavridis said in an article he penned for Bloomberg.

"Over the four years I was at NATO, there were a number of half-hearted military thrusts by the Azeris, which were easily stopped by the Armenians. Our intelligence assessments found that the Armenians were almost certain to win if things came seriously to blows."

The former NATO commander's comments come amid renewed violence in the region. Azerbaijan launched a major offensive against Karabakh (Artsakh) in the morning of September 27, shelling Armenian positions and civilian settlements with large caliber weapons and rocket systems. Armenia and Karabakh have introduced martial law and total mobilization. The Armenian side has reported deaths and injuries both among the civilian population and the military. On September 29, the Azerbaijani army began shelling positions and civilian settlements in Armenia, which resulted in civilian casualty.

Hayastan All-Armenian Fund has launched a fundraising campaign to support Nagorno-Karabakh amid Azerbaijan's aggression.