Aliyev's Move Simply Escalates Tensions at the Border: Karen Hovhannisyan

Expert on Kurdish and Turkish affairs Karen Hovhannisyan wrote on his Facebook page: “Azerbaijan's Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov held a meeting with the commanding staff of the border units. Among several current directives, there were a few that particularly caught my attention, which were issued by Hasanov on behalf of Ilham Aliyev. Let me highlight a few:

“First, it is ordered that henceforth, all border units conduct fire readiness with the use of combat weapons. Second, the command staff and sergeant corps of the border units should be included in various training programs, including those involving foreign missions. Third, in the event of a violation of the fire regime by the adversary, to act based on the importance of the situation at that moment and respond as deemed appropriate, without waiting for prior permission from the central command.”

“With this last point, in essence, it permits Azerbaijani soldiers to fire at Armenian positions at any time and register it as if they are responding to fire from our side… Aliyev's move simply leads to an escalation of tensions at the border and is directly tied to the internal political situation in their country.”