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Azerbaijani forces continued their advance into the Armenian-occupied Karabakh region and took control of strategic sites there, amid escalating war between the two countries, while Armenia accused Turkey of direct military intervention in the launched attacks. by the Azeri forces against her.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Turkey has “a direct presence on the ground, and Turkish military experts are fighting side by side with Azerbaijan,” which Yerevan says also uses Turkish weapons, including F-fighter jets. -16 and drones. Turkish Bayraktar.
Speed and rigor
Turkish support for Azerbaijan was characterized by coordination, frankness, speed and severity, as if the attack had been committed against Ankara, and was approached by all Turkish levels at the presidential, ministerial and popular levels. Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar threatened that Armenia “will pay the price for its attacks on the lands of Azerbaijan.”
Turkish F-16 fighter jets during a maneuver in Azerbaijan (Reuters)After visits and coordination at the highest military level, Ismail Demir, head of Turkey’s Defense Industries Authority, announced that his sector is ready to help Azerbaijan, adding: “Our defense industry, with all its experience, technologies and capabilities, from our drones to our ammunition, missiles and electronic warfare systems, is always at the disposal of Azerbaijan, “promising With the help of the modernization of the Azerbaijani army.
At the end of last July, it appeared that the Turkish state had formulated a way to turn its rhetorical support directed at Azerbaijan into a deterrent force and practical moves, as the two countries conducted joint maneuvers under the name “Turkish-Azerbaijani Eagle”.
According to official military data issued by the defense ministries of the two countries, the two armies have been trained to clear some strategic areas of virtual enemies, joint fire support on the ground, helicopter landings and perform basic air tasks such as ground bombardment, interception. and attack, day and night.
The exercises included tests of the readiness of the combat aircraft of the armies of the two countries, test of the readiness of the forces to implement the orders of the military leadership, and firing from armored vehicles, artillery and mortars at virtual enemy targets. , as well as exercises with live ammunition that included border areas with Armenia, with the participation of the Minister of Defense and senior leaders of the Turkish army. And it was seen as a clear message that Turkey is ready to intervene in case Armenia continues its attacks, which was considered by the President of Azerbaijan as “terrifying Armenia”.
But the question arises: did the large Turkish military forces and equipment, which participated in the military exercises between the Turkish and Azerbaijani armed forces a month ago in Baku, returned to Turkey, or was the aim of the exercises to keep the forces there to prepare for any future confrontation?
For its part, Yerevan was quick to obtain military equipment similar to that obtained by Baku from Ankara, but from the Middle East, this time from Jordan, and the competition continues.
Preparation of the Turkish army
In this context, Ismail Hakki, former deputy head of military intelligence in the Turkish Chief of General Staff, mentions that based on the security and military cooperation agreement between Ankara and Baku, the Turkish army sent military advisers to help his Azerbaijani counterpart in its current war against Armenia and also provides training.
Hakki did not deny, in his speech to Al Jazeera Net, that the Azerbaijani military used Turkish weapons, including F-16s and Bayraktar drones, in its current war, but confirmed that Azerbaijan bought them with its money before Turkey.
And it highlights that the heavy weapons used by the Turkish army in joint exercises with its Azerbaijani counterpart have returned to Turkey after the end of the exercise that took place in Baku.
“Turkey will not participate in the field with its army and soldiers in the ongoing war, unless the Armenian army advances, occupies new areas and threatens Turkish projects there, in coordination with Baku,” the former deputy chief of Military Intelligence said in the Chief of Staff.
Haqqi added: “Russia does not support Armenia in this war, and we have information that it will not intervene on the ground for the foreseeable future.”
Will Turkey hit Armenia?
The Turkish writer close to the government, Ibrahim Karagul, believes that if the game that Russia, France and the Emirates are playing through Armenia is successful, Turkey’s eastern gate will be completely closed, so Turkey intervenes to thwart the siege. from the east, whatever it takes.
Karagul told Al-Jazeera Net that the military exercises that Turkey carried out with Azerbaijan could become a reality when necessary, and the Azerbaijani fronts will also be battle fronts for Turkey.
He added: “We are facing a new scenario destined to weaken Azerbaijan and close Turkey’s eastern gates. Our enemies are testing with these attacks the strength of Turkey and the resistance of Azerbaijan, transport corridors and pipelines in the Caspian Sea and the south. from the Caucasus, so Turkey will never leave Azerbaijan as the Armenian attacks target Turkey first. ” The matter is not very different from the attacks carried out by ISIS and the PKK. “
Karagul asserts: “The defense of Azerbaijan is a defense of Turkey’s soil. This is our identity and our political consciousness, and this is our geopolitical mindset and our defense strategies.”
Russia doubts
The leader of the ruling Justice Party, Birol Demir, affirms that Armenia needs Moscow in light of the historical hostility between this country and Turkey, but Russia is hesitant to increase rapprochement with him, despite the conclusion of a long alliance that includes the survival of the Russian military base on its territory until 2044. According to the Russian agency “Sputnik” (Sputnik), Moscow has a military base in Armenia that includes about 5 thousand soldiers.
In his speech to Al-Jazeera Net, Demir considers that the renewal of the commitment is a Russian message to annoy Ankara and an attempt to confuse it on more than one regional front, explaining that for this the Turkish response was clear not only by supporting Azerbaijan, but by speeding it up by coordinating visits and positions at the level of military leaders.
It points to Russia’s use of ethnic conflicts in the South Caucasus region for its own benefit, and its strategy is to prevent conflicts from erupting, but they want to keep them tense so that neither Azerbaijan nor Armenia feel strong enough to feel the independence.
Demir points out that the presence of the Russian military base made the Armenians feel Russia’s support in exchange for the Azeris feeling that Turkey is with them, as Ankara has a military base in Azerbaijan and historically is with Baku against Yerevan. .
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