On the Day of Provocations' Start, Azerbaijan Announced Large-Scale Military Exercises, Which is No Coincidence: Pashinyan

The goal of Azerbaijan is to provoke a military confrontation in the territory of Armenia, which is supported by several arguments. This was stated by acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the National Assembly.

“The presence of representatives of the Azerbaijani armed forces in those regions attempts to be justified through obviously falsified maps, trying to present those areas as Azerbaijani. The maps established during the Soviet Union unequivocally clarify that Azerbaijan's claims have no basis, something the Azerbaijanis themselves know. It is important to note that on the day provocations started, Azerbaijan announced large-scale military exercises involving 15,000 servicemen, set for May 16. This could not be a mere coincidence. Essentially, a 15,000-strong army is being withdrawn from permanent deployment sites. As early as late April, the leader of Azerbaijan openly threatened the territorial integrity of Armenia, stating that he would open a corridor between Azerbaijan and Nakhchivan by force, under the guise of the Zangezur corridor,” emphasized the acting prime minister.

He pointed out that Lake Sevan is located in the narrowest part of the southern area of Armenia, where the distance between Armenia's eastern and western borders is minimal.

“Analyzing the situation, we have decided to activate the military-political mechanisms of Armenia's security system. This means that if the issue were just about one hill, the Minister of Defense and the Chief of General Staff have reported that there is no military issue in this regard, and the Armenian armed forces are capable of quickly resolving local issues. However, since our analysis has shown that we are dealing with a substantial military confrontation being provoked, a decision has been made not to resort to local actions, but to activate the military-political security mechanism,” Pashinyan stated.