Expert: Joint Turkish-Azeri drills may hint at fresh attack on Armenia
The upcoming joint military exercises between Azerbaijan and Turkey may be part of their preparations for a fresh attack on Armenia, warns Varuzhan Geghamyan, an expert on the Middle East and the South Caucasus.
The drills said to mark the centenary of the Turkish republic will be hosted by Azerbaijan on October 23-25.
They will be held in several areas, including Nakhichevan and Azeri-occupied regions of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) bordering Armenia’s Syunik and Vayots Dzor Provinces, Geghamyan highlighted.
“Although the exercises are officially said to mark the centenary of the Republic of Turkey, they will be held on the territory of Azerbaijan and Turkish F16 fighter jets and helicopters have been brought to Azerbaijan to this end,” he wrote on Telegram on Saturday.
“It should not be ruled out that this is part of preparations for a joint Turkish-Azerbaijani attack on Syunik and Vayots Dzor, while the exercises are just an excuse to deploy heavy Turkish military equipment in Nakhichevan and occupied Artsakh,” the expert added.