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FROM IRAN TO KARABAKH: CAN AZERBAIJAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE POSSIBLE WAR AND START ITS OWN?
By Aris Ghazinyan
ArmeniaNow
03.04.12 | 11:57
>From Iran to Karabakh: Can Azerbaijan take advantage of the possible
war and start its own?
The possibility of an Israeli offensive against Iran is being voiced
more and more frequently. A Washington Post correspondent, accompanying
chief of Pentagon Leon Panetta for the meeting of defense minister of
NATO member-countries in Brussels, cited him as saying that "Israel
is likely to strike sometime in April, May or June".
As reported by Israeli zman.com portal "Panetta is convinced that
Israel will, by all means, try to attack Iran before the Iranian
centrifuges for enriching uranium are transferred to heavily fortified
underground bunkers and the Islamic Republic enters the so-called
'immunity zone' [a point where Tehran's nuclear program becomes
invulnerable to physical attack]."
Israeli politicians and militaries stress that the "Iranian issue"
will be incomparably harder to solve after Iran has created its
nuclear weapon.
"Many analysts estimate that a nuclear Iran will be more complicated
to deal with, more dangerous and more costly in blood than if it is
stopped today," said Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak. "Whoever
says later might find that it will be too late."
In the highlight of military confrontation between Israel and Iran,
today more than ever it is talked about the extent of Azerbaijan's
involvement in the possible war, as well as the chances of resuming
active hostilities in Nagorno Karabakh.
On March 30 Russian Pavda.ru, with a reference to Foreign Policy
magazine, cited fragments from American military expert Mark Perry's
article (published in the magazine) on covert military talks between
Israel and Azerbaijan.
These talks were declassified and made public thanks to the U.S.
State Department representatives in Baku as well as WikiLeaks.
The key point in the declassified information comes down to the fact
that Israel is expanding its aircraft industry in Azerbaijan and
establishing military bases at vacant former soviet airfields in the
vicinity of Iran's northern territories.
"Four senior diplomats and military intelligence officers say
that the United States has concluded that Israel has recently been
granted access to airbases on Iran's northern border. To do what,
exactly, is not clear. The Israelis have bought an airfield, a senior
administration official told me in early February, and the airfield
is called Azerbaijan," Perry writes.
Israeli IAI company has founded a joint Azad Systems aircraft
manufacturing venture in Azerbaijan, producing Heron, Searcher,
Aerostar and Orbiter-M drones. An international academy opened in
Baku teaching drone control.
How might the possible war affect the Karabakh issue?
On March 27 in Seoul, Azeri president Ilham Aliyev attempted at
merging two urgent issues of big politics - regional (Karabakh)
and global (Iran) - into one, stating that "Azerbaijan believes
it's highly important to prevent its territory from being used as a
transit route for nuclear snuggling, but because of the continuing
occupation of 20 percent of our lands by neighboring Armenia, there
is no guarantee of control over the 130 km of our internationally
recognized southern border."
Under the circumstances of heightened tensions between Tehran and
Baku, Azerbaijan's Defense Minister Safar Abiyev visited Iran and
promised that his country would not become a base for the offensive
against Iran.
Iranian Press TV writes: "The relations between the neighbors have
tensed after Azerbaijan signed a $1.6 billion arms deal with Israel,
mainly drones and anti-aircraft defense systems. Tehran summoned the
Azeri ambassador in Iran and handed him a note of protest against
the deal. Azeri officials, however, responded saying the armament
is purchased for the liberation of the occupied 20 percent of its
territories."
Many experts in Armenia do not rule out that in case of Israel striking
Iran, Azerbaijan might take advantage of the chaos in the region and
go for a military venture against Nagorno Karabakh.
From: A. Papazian
By Aris Ghazinyan
ArmeniaNow
03.04.12 | 11:57
>From Iran to Karabakh: Can Azerbaijan take advantage of the possible
war and start its own?
The possibility of an Israeli offensive against Iran is being voiced
more and more frequently. A Washington Post correspondent, accompanying
chief of Pentagon Leon Panetta for the meeting of defense minister of
NATO member-countries in Brussels, cited him as saying that "Israel
is likely to strike sometime in April, May or June".
As reported by Israeli zman.com portal "Panetta is convinced that
Israel will, by all means, try to attack Iran before the Iranian
centrifuges for enriching uranium are transferred to heavily fortified
underground bunkers and the Islamic Republic enters the so-called
'immunity zone' [a point where Tehran's nuclear program becomes
invulnerable to physical attack]."
Israeli politicians and militaries stress that the "Iranian issue"
will be incomparably harder to solve after Iran has created its
nuclear weapon.
"Many analysts estimate that a nuclear Iran will be more complicated
to deal with, more dangerous and more costly in blood than if it is
stopped today," said Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak. "Whoever
says later might find that it will be too late."
In the highlight of military confrontation between Israel and Iran,
today more than ever it is talked about the extent of Azerbaijan's
involvement in the possible war, as well as the chances of resuming
active hostilities in Nagorno Karabakh.
On March 30 Russian Pavda.ru, with a reference to Foreign Policy
magazine, cited fragments from American military expert Mark Perry's
article (published in the magazine) on covert military talks between
Israel and Azerbaijan.
These talks were declassified and made public thanks to the U.S.
State Department representatives in Baku as well as WikiLeaks.
The key point in the declassified information comes down to the fact
that Israel is expanding its aircraft industry in Azerbaijan and
establishing military bases at vacant former soviet airfields in the
vicinity of Iran's northern territories.
"Four senior diplomats and military intelligence officers say
that the United States has concluded that Israel has recently been
granted access to airbases on Iran's northern border. To do what,
exactly, is not clear. The Israelis have bought an airfield, a senior
administration official told me in early February, and the airfield
is called Azerbaijan," Perry writes.
Israeli IAI company has founded a joint Azad Systems aircraft
manufacturing venture in Azerbaijan, producing Heron, Searcher,
Aerostar and Orbiter-M drones. An international academy opened in
Baku teaching drone control.
How might the possible war affect the Karabakh issue?
On March 27 in Seoul, Azeri president Ilham Aliyev attempted at
merging two urgent issues of big politics - regional (Karabakh)
and global (Iran) - into one, stating that "Azerbaijan believes
it's highly important to prevent its territory from being used as a
transit route for nuclear snuggling, but because of the continuing
occupation of 20 percent of our lands by neighboring Armenia, there
is no guarantee of control over the 130 km of our internationally
recognized southern border."
Under the circumstances of heightened tensions between Tehran and
Baku, Azerbaijan's Defense Minister Safar Abiyev visited Iran and
promised that his country would not become a base for the offensive
against Iran.
Iranian Press TV writes: "The relations between the neighbors have
tensed after Azerbaijan signed a $1.6 billion arms deal with Israel,
mainly drones and anti-aircraft defense systems. Tehran summoned the
Azeri ambassador in Iran and handed him a note of protest against
the deal. Azeri officials, however, responded saying the armament
is purchased for the liberation of the occupied 20 percent of its
territories."
Many experts in Armenia do not rule out that in case of Israel striking
Iran, Azerbaijan might take advantage of the chaos in the region and
go for a military venture against Nagorno Karabakh.
From: A. Papazian