"Azerbaijani armed forces must be prepared to liberate the occupied territories"

Azerbaijan recently adopted Military Doctrine . In your opinion, may this pave a way for resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by force?

Just as in case of bases, the solution is political. In this case, it does not mean that the Azerbaijani military men, roughly speaking, are going to unleash a new conflict on their own initiative. The decision will be political as in any other similar situation. But the Azerbaijani armed forces must be prepared to liberate the occupied territories. I do not see any contradiction in this respect. Another thing is how far it is linked to peace negotiations which remain the most politically promising way to solve this problem. There are always some kind of political opportunities. Even when negotiations reach deadlock, any conflict situation has a political solution.

In your view, how real is deployment of foreign troops in country’s territory?

I think that the law offers such a possibility.Because, exclusion of this possibility (there are also the Constitution) creates restriction in freedom of choice. I think there is no need for a state to restrict the freedom of maneuver in such a way. Another thing is how far these bases are necessary in political terms. But I think that it is unwise to deny yourself such an opportunity. I do not see anything untoward in the parliament’s move.

May Azerbaijan’s adoption of Military Doctrine followed by a decision on deployment of foreign troops given that this is painful issue for some neighboring republics?

Most states have such an opportunity and nobody believes that there is some danger. The decision to deploy bases is political  in any case. Whatever political situation requires, I think such a possibility should exist. It does not matter how neighbors react to it. What matters is that how the state considers it necessary to ensure its safety. As you know, security can change very quickly and very dramatically. It is important to have such an opportunity especially in such a complicated region as the Caucasus.

In your opinion, can the Gabala radar where Russian military men work be considered Russian military base?

No. The concept of a military base, first and foremost, implies an element of extraterritoriality. That is, some part of the country is granted to a foreign state to place its armed forces, and this part of the country becomes a matter of a separate agreement. As a rule, laws of the host country are not valid for these forces in this territory.

The main thing here is deployment of troops. Things are different in case of Gabala radar. As a rule, these facilities are not characterized as a base, and are governed by other agreements of lesser importance. Even if technical staff of a foreign state is available, it is not controlled by those rules which relate to military bases. These facilities are usually run by agreements, like on sharing, access to information, etc.

When parliament decides on the bases, something quite different is meant here. I mean, first of all, the stationing of foreign troops, military units capable of one way or another affect the military balance in the region. For example, a military base in Armenia is indeed one of the major factors in the military balance in South Caucasus.


/Day.Az/