Wed 25 November 2009 | 06:23 GMT Text size:

Uzeyir Jafarov

Azerbaijani military expert Uzeyir Jafarov does not expect a resumption of hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan, although he believes that the Azerbaijani army is stronger.

Jafarov commented to 1news.az on remarks in Yerevan by Nikolai Bordyuzha, secretary-general of the Collective Security Treaty Organization. Bordyuzha hoped that talk of a possible resumption of hostilities by Azerbaijan was no more than an attempt to encourage agreement with Armenia on Karabakh.

Uzeyir Jafarov said that everyone realizes that Armenia is protracting the liberation of Azerbaijani lands and Baku cannot wait for Yerevan to make up its mind. Armenia understands that sooner or later they will have to quit the occupied Azerbaijani land and are trying to bargain with this, Jafarov said.

"I think there will not be a war but after the Munich meeting Azerbaijan is toughening its position, an important component of which is the military and political factor. I am surprised when I read in the Armenian, and especially in our, press that 'the Armenian army is holding exercises on the front line'. This is ridiculous, especially for those who know  what ‘military exercises’ held by the Armenians mean. The end of the year is approaching and the Armenian side must report to their masters about the arms and equipment supplied, so they hold so-called ‘exercises’ in order to write off the military equipment and ammunition that have been stolen and sold," Jafarov said.

The Azerbaijani army holds twice as many exercises on a much larger scale than the Armenians, who drive a couple of rusty tanks and petrol tankers along the front line, he concluded.

1 news.az