KARABAKH: ARMENIAN ANALYSTS SEE USE OF MORTARS BY AZERBAIJAN AS FAILURE OF ITS "SNIPER WAR"
Karabakh | 15.12.14 | 15:31
GOHAR ABRAHAMYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
Last week near the line of contact of Azerbaijani and Karabakh armed
forces some unprecedented violations of the ceasefire regime were
reported; the opponent started using even mortars, which, according
to a political analyst, makes it obvious that this way Azerbaijan
tried to increase the tension.
The Nagorno-Karabakh defense army's press service said that from 7 to
13 of December near the line of contact of Azerbaijani and Karabakh
armed forces the opponent violated the ceasefire regime for about
1,600 times, firing more than 18,000 shots in the direction of the
Armenian positions from firearms of different caliber.
"Specifically, in the eastern section of the line of contact
unprecedented violations were recorded. In the mentioned direction the
opponent made more than three dozen shots from 60- and 82-mm mortars.
During the week the opponent used also grenade cup dischargers, small
and large caliber snipers and machine-gun weapons," the statement
said, adding that frontline army units of the Defense Army (DA),
when necessary, gave an adequate response to the opponent keeping
the operational-tactical situation under constant control."
Political analyst Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan said that this means that
currently all opportunities of a peaceful resolution have expired,
which means that turning-point relations are necessary, otherwise
there is a very high danger of resumption of a full-blown war.
"We saw that during 2014 Azerbaijan turned to at least three such
large threatening actions, and all those actions together were a cause
for 2014 to be considered a loss in terms of negotiations and peaceful
settlement, and now we are entering a stage where the priority is still
preserving or re-affirming the ceasefire agreement signed in 1994. This
is a new way of conflict, a very slow and quite a dangerous conflict
from the military point of view, which, apparently, has created a
new situation in Armenian-Azerbaijani relations and forces building
the policy based on that new situation," the political analyst said.
Political analyst Tigran Abrahamyan said that the use of artillery
weapons is getting more active, which is very dangerous and is not
the first such case.
"Azerbaijan has become skeptical about the 'Snipers' war', more
specifically, about its efficiency (in terms of inflicting losses),
which does not yet mean that snipers will get more passive or will
leave the 'battlefield'. Most possibly, in the near future the opponent
will try to act 'within the logics of some smaller scale artillery
weapons' simultaneously using the services of the snipers.
The objective is to cause as much damage as possible," the political
analyst said, adding that even though it is clear that the frontline
army units of the Defense Army will come up with respective actions to
keep the situation under control at most, however, one should reckon
that the situation remains risky in the frontline, and Azerbaijan
has no intentions of taking a break.
http://armenianow.com/karabakh/59367/armenia_karabakh_ceasefire_violations_mortars_snip er_fire_analysts
Karabakh | 15.12.14 | 15:31
GOHAR ABRAHAMYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
Last week near the line of contact of Azerbaijani and Karabakh armed
forces some unprecedented violations of the ceasefire regime were
reported; the opponent started using even mortars, which, according
to a political analyst, makes it obvious that this way Azerbaijan
tried to increase the tension.
The Nagorno-Karabakh defense army's press service said that from 7 to
13 of December near the line of contact of Azerbaijani and Karabakh
armed forces the opponent violated the ceasefire regime for about
1,600 times, firing more than 18,000 shots in the direction of the
Armenian positions from firearms of different caliber.
"Specifically, in the eastern section of the line of contact
unprecedented violations were recorded. In the mentioned direction the
opponent made more than three dozen shots from 60- and 82-mm mortars.
During the week the opponent used also grenade cup dischargers, small
and large caliber snipers and machine-gun weapons," the statement
said, adding that frontline army units of the Defense Army (DA),
when necessary, gave an adequate response to the opponent keeping
the operational-tactical situation under constant control."
Political analyst Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan said that this means that
currently all opportunities of a peaceful resolution have expired,
which means that turning-point relations are necessary, otherwise
there is a very high danger of resumption of a full-blown war.
"We saw that during 2014 Azerbaijan turned to at least three such
large threatening actions, and all those actions together were a cause
for 2014 to be considered a loss in terms of negotiations and peaceful
settlement, and now we are entering a stage where the priority is still
preserving or re-affirming the ceasefire agreement signed in 1994. This
is a new way of conflict, a very slow and quite a dangerous conflict
from the military point of view, which, apparently, has created a
new situation in Armenian-Azerbaijani relations and forces building
the policy based on that new situation," the political analyst said.
Political analyst Tigran Abrahamyan said that the use of artillery
weapons is getting more active, which is very dangerous and is not
the first such case.
"Azerbaijan has become skeptical about the 'Snipers' war', more
specifically, about its efficiency (in terms of inflicting losses),
which does not yet mean that snipers will get more passive or will
leave the 'battlefield'. Most possibly, in the near future the opponent
will try to act 'within the logics of some smaller scale artillery
weapons' simultaneously using the services of the snipers.
The objective is to cause as much damage as possible," the political
analyst said, adding that even though it is clear that the frontline
army units of the Defense Army will come up with respective actions to
keep the situation under control at most, however, one should reckon
that the situation remains risky in the frontline, and Azerbaijan
has no intentions of taking a break.
http://armenianow.com/karabakh/59367/armenia_karabakh_ceasefire_violations_mortars_snip er_fire_analysts