On 18 May, the Azerbaijani army started the large-scale operational-tactical exercises, reported the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense.
During the exercises, issues of combat readiness, planning, and comprehensive support of operations, the interoperability of headquarters of various types and branches of troops will be worked out. The firing and maneuvering capabilities of the shock troops created under the conditions of the exercises would be checked. The exercises’ concept provides for the use of troops in selected directions, the infliction of massive strikes by missile forces and artillery, the conduct of bombing assault aviation attacks, as well as the use of high-precision weapons throughout the depth of the operational formation of enemy troops.
The exercises would involve up to 10,000 military personnel, up to 120 tanks and armored vehicles, up to 200 missiles and artillery systems of various caliber, multiple launch rocket systems, mortars, up to 30 army and frontline aviation and unmanned aerial vehicles for various purposes and will last until 22 May.
Parallel to the above-mentioned exercises, the Azerbaijani MOD also started military exercises in the autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan. The official YouTube channel of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense featured a video showing Turkish-manufactured multiple-launch rocket systems, which included the TRG-300 Tiger.
Prior to its start of the exercises, the Armenian MOD condemned Azerbaijan’s intentions to conduct the exercises. In a statement released on 14 May, the Armenian MOD stated that the exercises “pose a threat to the regional security environment.” They also accused Baku of ignoring United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s recent call for a global ceasefire so the world can focus on fighting the coronavirus pandemic.
“We are calling on the Azerbaijani side to show restraint and honor its obligations to the international community,” read the statement. “At the same time, we notify that any attempt to move military hardware and personnel close to the Armenian border or the Line of Contact with Nagorno-Karabakh would be viewed as a provocation and have appropriate consequences,” the statement further emphasized.
The Azerbaijani MOD responded by stating that the exercises would take place within the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan and that there “could be no talk of violating the requirements of international documents”. “We [Azerbaijan] declare that the reaction of Armenia as an aggressor country to the exercises is aimed at distracting the international community and international organizations,” the statement further emphasized, and added that if the Armenian forces undertake any provocation during the exercises, the Azerbaijani army would immediately and decisively prevent it by force.
Military hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan re-emerged on 29 April, when both the Armenian and Azerbaijani MOD’s accused each other of using mortars on the contact line and violating the ceasefire agreement.
