Political

At the end of 2020, our country marked the beginning of a new era in world military history, destroying the geopolitical and military configuration of the region. It is no coincidence that Azerbaijan's victory over Armenia and its supporters in the 44-day war led by President Ilham Aliyev is of serious interest around the world.

This time, the Russian newspaper "Argumenty i Fakty" published a report from Yerevan. In the report, Georgi Zotov, an employee of the Russian newspaper "Argumenty i Fakty", wrote about his impressions as a result of a journalistic investigation in Yerevan. In an interview with a Russian correspondent, the Armenian military humiliated the current and former Armenian authorities by blaming them for the defeat in the 44-day war. The military, which took part in the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the autumn, admits that when the country's leaders deceived the people about the conflict for 30 years, Azerbaijan was seriously preparing for war. As a result, the Azerbaijani army achieved its goal in Karabakh in a short time. Former Armenian army captain Suren Ter-Gukasyan admits, "We have acted foolishly. Unfounded pride and arrogance prevailed in Armenian society. In the previous war, the rapid destruction of Azerbaijani fighters and the fact that they were forced to flee created euphoria. They were ridiculed and said: “Can Azerbaijanis fight? If they come forward, we will go to Baku! ” In short, these jokes cost us dearly".

Referring to the success of the Azerbaijani army in the war, Russian correspondent Georgi Zotov wrote that, unlike the false illusions in Armenia, "the issue of returning to Karabakh in Azerbaijan has become a national idea." He added, “Armenians have been watching Azerbaijan buy expensive, modern weapons for years and believe that Azerbaijan only wants to intimidate Armenians. Armenians humiliated the enemy, laughed at him: "They are cowards, they do not dare".

Georgi Zotov writes in an article that in conversations with many servicemen in Yerevan, he heard about the chaos in the army: "Armenia had gathered tens of thousands of troops, but then did not know what to do, because the opportunity to deliver troops to the front was missed. I must mention one more point - the issue of discipline in the combat zone. The volunteer I spoke to at the beginning of this article does not hide anything: he sits at a post on the front line and drinks cognac. Of course, during the war, sometimes it is impossible to pass without alcohol (I myself have been on "front" trips dozens of times), remember the Great Patriotic War and the famous "100 grams of drugs" for that time. However, when drinking for "courage" becomes a regular occurrence, the ability to judge with a sober mind and react quickly to the situation, even if the so-called courage is excessive, is reduced to zero. Araik Khachikyan, a soldier of the separatist groups, admits: “Even our officers drank too much in our battle positions. It's scary. I drank well in the morning, or I could not stand the sound of drones exploding. There were even rumors that a high-ranking Armenian politician called the generals in a drunken state and demanded that they immediately attack this or that village. According to Khachikyan, commanders often ignored the orders of the leadership and acted as they saw fit. In short, there was arbitrariness."

Zotov's findings and the Armenian military's confessions coincide with what the Azerbaijani leadership has repeatedly said over the years about the continuing chaos in the Armenian army. The Republic of Armenia, which has occupied our lands since the early 1990s with the help of external forces behind it, has not been able to form its statehood for 30 years.

At the end of the article, Zotov notes that the war in Karabakh should be a good lesson for Russia. "The next war in the post-Soviet space was a good lesson for Russia , Yes, now is not the nineties, and the Russian army has no problems with discipline, and in courage everything is fine. But, unfortunately, as I said above, in modern conditions you can not go far with courage. The successful use of the latest Turkish electronically controlled drones has shown that the methods of warfare are changing too rapidly these days. I hope that soon Russia will start producing UAVs with the quality of drones made in Turkey. Since we don't have good relations with all our neighbors, we should be prepared for surprises”.

This article published in the newspaper "Argumenti i Fakti" should be especially relevant for the Armenian society today. Armenian citizens must understand that now is a historic moment and a historic opportunity for them. The further existence of the unformed Armenian state will depend only on relations with Azerbaijan.

Zaur Mammadov

Senior Lecturer of the Academy of Public Administration under the President, Head of the Baku Club of Political Scientists

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