About the possible war

08/12/2010

“The Armenian forces are well-prepared and are able to withstand the protracted resistance with the Azeris,” such an opinion is expressed by the International Institute for Strategic Studies based in London. This information was included in their annual report. “The military competition between Azerbaijan and Armenia is pretty tense. In 2009 the military budget of Azerbaijan amounted to 1.4 billion USD (due to oil and gas), which is four times more than the current military budget of Armenia. The Azerbaijani army is 67.000 and the Armenian army is 47.000 without counting the 20.000-army of the NKR. But the Armenian forces are better prepared and are able to withstand the attack of Azerbaijan for a long time. Azerbaijan needs serious opportunities for the desirable victory,” says the report. The analysts of the Institute mentioned that Azerbaijan relies on the US and Turkey when it comes to military trainings and preparations but it has also bought military hardware from Ukraine – 30 MIG-25 jets and 12 long distance rockets. And the attainment of C-300 complexes will provide reliable protection for the energetic systems of Azerbaijan, which during the war will be the key target of Armenia. According to the authors of the report, Armenia as a member of the Collective Security Pact, has bought immense armaments at cheap prices. The geographic position is also favorable. The Armenian forces are occupying high positions in the territory of the NKR and also have a number of fortified posts. In the opinion of the British experts, as a result of fortifications and geographic posts the leadership of Karabakh is decisively against the return of the territories. The analysts are mentioning that if Armenia returns the territories Azerbaijan will have the opportunity to occupy the rest of the NKR. The report also says that despite the fact that the Armenian forces are protecting their territories the support of Russia in the event of a possible war will not be evident. Despite the membership of Armenia to the Collective Security Pact and the recent agreements a few people in Moscow think that Russia will automatically interfere during the war.