Azerbaijan’s military operation could lead to complete defeat of Armenian army

Amilitary operation of the Azerbaijani army could lead to the complete defeat of the Armenian armed forces and result in an inevitable tragedy for the Armenian people, Azerbaijan’s Deputy Defense Minister, Lieutenant General Karim Valiyev said.

He was commenting on the latest interview of Chief of General Staff of the Armenian armed forces Movses Hakobyan, who said that allegedly, the Armenian army is ready to reflect the onslaught of the Azerbaijani army and that the Azerbaijani army allegedly may suffer serious losses.

Valiyev noted that by making such irresponsible statements, the leadership of the Armenian armed forces continues to deceive the Armenian people, who have lost faith in the future.

“Everyone knows that in one of his speeches President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, in order to justify his failure, admitted that during the April battles they fought with weapons and equipment produced in the 1980s,” Valiyev mentioned. “Therefore, Hakobyan’s opinion that allegedly, the Azerbaijani army may suffer serious losses, as well as bravado with new weapons, while during the past two years Armenia bought only two or three artillery pieces and one missile system, look absurd.”

During the battles in April 2016, The Armenian army lost more than 320 servicemen, over 500 Armenian soldiers were injured, 30 Armenian tanks and other armored vehicles, as well as more than 25 artillery pieces were destroyed, while the Azerbaijani Armed Forces retook several strategic heights and settlements. That was a serious defeat of the Armenian army.

Valiyev noted that even the leading countries of the world, possessing a strong economy and financial capabilities, are not able to fully rearm their armies in a short time. Therefore, such statements made by the Armenian leadership, which exists thanks to handouts and loans, are simply ridiculous, he added.

“Hakobyan, in his interview, talked about the combat readiness of the Armenian army, the situation on the frontline, the prospects for the start of military operations, including that they can allegedly reflect the onslaught of the Azerbaijani army. The chief of General Staff of the Armenian armed forces connects this with the seven-year program of army modernization, which they intend to implement,” Valiyev said. “However, even talks about the implementation of such programs in Armenia, where there is complete disunity in the society, the economy is destroyed, where the tragic demographic situation reigns and the army lacks discipline, look fantastic.”

The deputy minister added that the military leadership of Armenia used to tell fairytales to its people about the “invincibility of the Ohanyan line,” and now they are talking about the “invincibility of the Sargsyan line.”

“In fact, the April battles showed that it is possible to resolve this conflict, and nothing will break the determination of the Azerbaijani people to liberate their lands,” Valiyev said.

He mentioned that Azerbaijan is simply a supporter of the conflict’s solution on the basis of norms and principles of international law, and believes in this possibility. However, if the issue is not resolved peacefully, then Azerbaijan will certainly use the right to ensure its territorial integrity by any means.

“Then the military operation, which the Azerbaijani army will start, will lead to the complete defeat of the Armenian armed forces and will result in the inevitable tragedy of the Armenian people,” Valiyev added.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Until now, Armenia controls fifth part of Azerbaijan’s territory and rejects implementing four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding regions.