Azerbaijani soldiers showed great courage & commitment during second Karabakh war, says Bryza

  26 September 2021    Read: 282
Azerbaijani soldiers showed great courage & commitment during second Karabakh war, says Bryza

Azerbaijani soldiers showed great bravery, amazing skill and commitment during the second Karabakh war, especially when they liberated Shusha, said former US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Matthew Bryza, AzVision.az reports.

He pointed out that technologically, during that war, extremely innovated Turkish technologies, drones and tactics along with Israeli drone technologies were integrated with full-scale combined operations and with devastating impact.

“At the same time, these new weapons really call into question the whole collection of Soviet-era and Russian weapons that were easily defeated by these innovative tactics and technologies. So, this suggests that wars are entering a new phase when static defenses and even tanks lose much of their value. It is possible to develop electronic warfare capabilities that allow to defend and camouflage troops and equipment,” added Bryza.

Bryza recalled that when he was the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair, for the past couple of decades the basic formula that Azerbaijan and Armenia were trying to finalize together with the help of the Minsk Group and its co-chairs was so-called formula of “land for peace”.

"In other words, if Armenia returned Azerbaijan’s lands, Azerbaijan would work with the international community to make sure there would be a lasting peace and that the Armenian population of Karabakh would feel safe and secure. But two years ago, first in the spring of 2019 and then in August Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his defense minister publicly repudiated the “land for peace” formula and said “our formula now is ‘new war for new territories’”. Prime Minister Pashinyan was convinced by the most radical Armenian nationalist faction of the diaspora called the Armenian National Committee of America to be tougher, to threaten with war," Bryza said.

"I think Pashinyan was foolish to listen to them and miscalculated that the diasporas in the US and Russia would bring support to Armenia if there was a war, and that would allow Armenia to prevail in the war. That was a huge mistake,” said the former ambassador.

Bryza believes sustainable peace in the South Caucasus will be achieved once there is a peace agreement signed.

"Right now it is politically not possible for Pashinyan to go to that next step, because so many of his political opponents repudiate, reject the November 10 statement that ended the military phase of the conflict, because there is no mention of status of Karabakh, which is of course totally unacceptable understandably to Azerbaijan," he said.

“If they don’t accept that statement, then they’re not going to allow for there to be a peace treaty. It is only if the political mood changes or continues to change in Armenia and Armenian politicians come to understand the value of restoring transportation links with Turkey and Azerbaijan, thereby creating economic growth and jobs and help integrate Armenia into regional economy. Until then Armenia will not be taking full advantage of the new opportunities presented with the end of the military phase of the conflict,” Bryza concluded.


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