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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.
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.