Confusion in Azerbaijan: Military Expert Karen Hovhannisyan

Military expert and Kurdish scholar Karen Hovhannisyan has written on his Facebook page: “There is confusion in Azerbaijan. The Milli Mejlis session has gone through quite unpredictable developments. Lawmaker Vahid Ahmadov has severely criticized Zakir Hasanov and Chief of the General Staff Najmeddin Sadikov. The lawmaker first questioned the proficiency in Azerbaijani of the two military figures, as they failed to provide a 'comprehensive response' regarding the inauguration of the president of Artsakh in Shushi.

Addressing Zakir Hasanov, he stated: '...You are the Minister of Defense. There was a need for certain actions regarding Shushi. It seems we are afraid of someone. I am not saying we should open fire, but in any case, we should have taken certain steps.'

After the parliament's break, the situation heated up further, with all speaking lawmakers accusing Vahid Ahmadov of pouring water into the enemy's mill. Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defense also responded to the lawmaker, stating that Zakir Hasanov had not received any inquiries about Shushi in the past year. Furthermore, launching a rocket at Shushi must be authorized by the Milli Mejlis, meaning that parliament and the Ministry of Defense must grant permission for war; the Ministry cannot act independently.

In short, it has been a very heated final session of the spring session.