Azerbaijan’s Political and Military Elite Lives a Virtual Life

YEREVAN, AUGUST 17, ARMENPRESS:

Eldar Sabiroglu, press secretary of Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry, released today a statement in response to Artsakh Republic Defense Minister Movses Hakobyan's statement of August 12.

Movses Hakobyan stated at a news conference that the Defense Army's potential increased by 20% and that the Defense Army will not allow the Azerbaijani army to let it behind in the issue of arms. Eldar Sabiroglu said the NKR defense minister's statements aim at alleviating the inner anxiety of the Nagorno Karabakh. He also mentioned that the Armenian party worries about the armament of the Azerbaijani army and increase of military expenditure. "In a short-term war the defeat of the Armenian party is unavoidable," Sabiroglu said.

Davit Babayan, head of the central information department of the Office of Artsakh Republic President told Armenpress that Azerbaijan's militarization is a very dangerous phenomenon not only in the context of the Karabakhi-Azerbaijani conflict, but also generally for maintenance of stability and peace in the whole of South Caucasus. He says the Azerbaijani political and military elite is obviously forming a virtual world and in this virtual world the "Azerbaijani authorities think that using some quantitative privileges they can achieve victory. Not taking into account the reality, living with virtual ideas, they might take not well-thought steps."

Davit Babayan says the international community and some superpowers, which have certain interests, at the moment exclude war as a means of settlement of the issue. As to the "short-term war", Davit Babayan said "Azerbaijan then just asked, entreated ceasefire, but this time there will be no such thing."

He added that the increase of arms is also aimed at controlling the national minorities within Azerbaijan and that this fact should be taken into account as well.