Baku analysts link "Kavkaz-2020" exercises with incidents on Armenian border

The latest incidents on the border, including the killing and wounding of Azerbaijani soldiers, are associated with the "Kavkaz-2020" military exercises, Djasur Sumerinli, an analyst and military expert, believes.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on September 21, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced the shelling of its army positions and the death of soldier, Elshan Mamedov. Earlier, on September 20, another military serviceman, Gurban Gurbanov, was wounded at his combat post in the village of Agdam, Tovuz District. Besides, on September 20, an unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) of the Armenian Armed Forces was shot down in the vicinity of Shamkir.

Armenia continues escalating tensions on Azerbaijani border; and a new escalation round takes place amid the "Kavkaz-2020" exercises, Mr Sumerinli has stated. The exercises are held to demonstrate Russia's military power and domination in the Black Sea and Caspian regions, he has added, noting that Armenia, according to his opinion, promotes its own interests by reminding about the conflict with Azerbaijan and making it clear that it has the right to rely on the help of Russia as its military ally.

"Moscow has always used Armenia and the Karabakh conflict as a lever of pressure on Azerbaijan, while restraining it from the policy of European integration," the analyst has concluded.

Azad Isazade, a former employee of the information-analytical department of the Azerbaijani MoD, did not rule out that Armenia is trying to aggravate the situation against the background of the exercises.

In turn, Shushan Stepanyan, the press secretary of the Armenian MoD, has stated that Armenia is not involved in the incidents with Azerbaijani militaries. She also treated Baku's statement about the downed Armenian drone as disinformation.