November 27, 2006 - 16:57 AMT
U.S. Expert: Yerevan Has Army, Baku Has Armed Forces Only
During debates held in the Johns Hopkins University, Washington, senior associate at the American Foreign Policy Council Wayne Merry described Azerbaijan's constant threats to start blitzkrieg as unreal. "Nagorno Karabakh is a natural stronghold, which was consolidated by the Armenian army. Even the U.S. army will face hardships in case of attacking it," the expert said. "The Armenian Armed Forces excel their rival several times. It's not a secret that Armenia has an army while Azerbaijan has 'armed forces' only," Merry said. In his opinion, in case of resumption of war Azerbaijan will hope for human resources while Armenia will rely on armament and efficiency. Armenians will defend Karabakh while Azerbaijan will have to conquer it, what is unreal, he added. Taking into account these factors Merry considers that Azerbaijan will never succeed in settling the Nagorno Karabakh conflict by force. According to him, Baku's military rhetoric constitutes a threat of war. As a settlement variant Merry proposes 'territories in exchange of status' meanwhile the Lachin corridor should remain under control of the Armenian side, reports Yerkir Online.