Nagorno-Karabagh: Military Balance Between Armenia & Azerbaijan

[burjuin]

Re: Nagorno-Karabagh: Military Balance Between Armenia & Azerbaijan

[burjuin]

Re: Nagorno-Karabagh: Military Balance Between Armenia & Azerbaijan

[burjuin]

Re: Nagorno-Karabagh: Military Balance Between Armenia & Azerbaijan

[burjuin]

Re: Nagorno-Karabagh: Military Balance Between Armenia & Azerbaijan

[Joseph]

Re: Nagorno-Karabagh: Military Balance Between Armenia & Azerbaijan

A good move for Armenia. I especially like the last sentence

http://www.eurasianet.org/node/63566

Armenia's announcement this month that it was tripling its troop commitment to Afghanistan raised some eyebrows. It has no NATO aspirations, and has largely thrown in its strategic lot with Russia, as evidenced by the agreement it recently signed allowing a large, decades-long Russian military presence in the country.

But the newest trend in Eurasian geopolitics is multi-vectored foreign policy (i.e., trying to balance relations between various big powers rather than becoming dependent on a single one), pioneered by Kazakhstan but now increasingly deliberately employed across the region. And that means that even faithfully pro-Moscow states like Armenia have to hedge their bets a little. Thus, Armenia's contribution of two extra platoons (81 soldiers) to help guard the airport in Mazar-e-Sharif, bringing its troop contribution to a total of about 130. As Deputy Defense Minister David Tonoyan told Mediamax (apparently not online, translation by BBC Monitoring) puts it:

First of all, this step is based on Armenia's interests in accordance with the multi-layer and initiative foreign policy of our country, and demonstrates our particular place in the world order after the "cold war".

And he played down suggestions that cooperating with NATO in Afghanistan was somehow incompatible with Armenia's membership in the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization, emphasizing the CSTO's cooperation with ISAF in Afghanistan:

Participation of the active CSTO member - Armenia - in ISAF Mission strengthens our country's relations with the North-Atlantic Alliance and EU member countries, and this is based on common interests of both our country and the international community. These interests are obvious, taking into account the assistance, rendered by CSTO-allied and our strategic partner Russia to NATO in provision of transit across its territory to Afghanistan for the transportation of and resupply for Alliance troops.

The role of infrastructural and logistic support, provided by CSTO member countries - Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, is also great in terms of ensuring ISAF Mission's success. In this context, it is difficult to assess whose contribution from CSTO countries is of more importance; however it is obvious that CSTO plays a significant role in provision of security and stability in Afghanistan.

Emil Danielyan, writing in Jamestown's Eurasia Daily Monitor, says that while the move is surprising, Russia isn't objecting too much -- probably because it understands that Armenia's commitment to NATO is modest and does not threaten its ties with Moscow:

The Armenian government’s decision was rather unexpected against the backdrop of a new Russian-Armenian military agreement signed during President Dmitry Medvedev’s August 2010 visit to Yerevan. The agreement prolonged the presence of a Russian military base in Armenia by 25 years—until 2044—and upgraded its security mission. It also committed Russia to supply the Armenian military with more modern weaponry.

By boosting its military commitments in Afghanistan, Yerevan is signaling that the new defense pact with Moscow will not hold it back from seeking closer military cooperation with Western powers, which has deepened significantly over the past decade. Armenia participated in the U.S.-led occupation force in Iraq with a small army contingent, and currently has about 80 soldiers serving in Kosovo under NATO command...

Still, Moscow has never publicly faulted Yerevan, suggesting that it does not yet consider the growing Armenia-NATO ties a cause for serious concern. According to Anatoly Tsyganok, a Russian defense analyst, the Kremlin “does not quite like” them but at the same time “understands the difficult situation Armenia is in. Russia will not insist that the Armenian armed forces stop cooperating with NATO,” Tsyganok was quoted by Regnum as saying on May 13.

Furthermore, there are reasons beyond geopolitics for the deployment. Forces that take part in missions like this gain valuable practical experience, something that the CSTO can't really offer. Tonoyan again:

[I]n terms of experience exchange, due to participation of Armenian military in ISAF, our units familiarize on the spot with Western military art and military culture, employ in combat the most advanced armament, military equipment and high technologies, supplied by the German side, adopt new tactics. All this is of highest value in terms of our defence reforms and development of the Armenian Armed Forces. This is not only participation in multi-national operations, but also an intensive training and education for our peacekeepers.

However, no comment yet from the Taliban, which responded strongly to Kazakhstan's announced deployment, which turned out to be all of four soldiers. Perhaps, as the first country ever to adopt Christianity, the Taliban considers Armenia a lost cause.

[Vardan]

Re: Nagorno-Karabagh: Military Balance Between Armenia & Azerbaijan

Armenians wound serviceman of Azerbaijani Army


[ 27 May 2011 19:13 ]
Aghdam. Teymur Zahidoglu – APA. A serviceman of Azerbaijani Army was wounded as Armenians violated ceasefire.

APA’s Karabakh bureau reports that it happened in the direction of Terter – on the contact line of troops this afternoon. Isgandarov Anvar Rafig was wounded in the lower limbs, as a result of the violation of ceasefire by Armenians.

The state of his health is satisfactory.

http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=148208

[Federate]

Re: Nagorno-Karabagh: Military Balance Between Armenia & Azerbaijan

However, no comment yet from the Taliban, which responded strongly to Kazakhstan's announced deployment, which turned out to be all of four soldiers. Perhaps, as the first country ever to adopt Christianity, the Taliban considers Armenia a lost cause.

Also because they got their asses handed to them last time they tried to shoot at Armenian soldiers.

[Joseph]

Re: Nagorno-Karabagh: Military Balance Between Armenia & Azerbaijan

Also because they got their asses handed to them last time they tried to shoot at Armenian soldiers.

They certainly did; the Chechens too.

[bell-the-cat]

Re: Nagorno-Karabagh: Military Balance Between Armenia & Azerbaijan

Umadid I thought you said you were going away! what happend another fazuli lie? Seems like it you toork belig.

We don't think you will go away on your own, you are too much like a roach, so we will crush you toorks. You lost a lot of blood last time and you had a boat load of equpment. This time we have a boat load of equipment and hold the high ground. Get ready for the blood bath you toork belig, get ready!

How long does this forum have to put up with this individual? Not only does he regularly break every rule about not indulging in personal abuse directed at members, or in spewing racist abuse in general, but in post after post this sad little loudmouth thinks he has a right to say who should or should not be a member here.

[bell-the-cat]

Re: Nagorno-Karabagh: Military Balance Between Armenia & Azerbaijan

You can act like you know how Azeris and Armenians feel about each other , but you can only guess frankly no offense but i came here to speak to my neighbors whom i have some issues and misunderstandings, if i wanted to speak to wana be Armenian/Azeri relation expert i would have gone to somewhere else. So i will still be answering on anything but only if its asked by niggaz across the boarder.

So revealing. Azeri scum need Armenian scum to justify their existence, and vice-versa. And the only thing that unites them is their shared opposition to anyone who exposes them for what they are.