Azerbaijan Can Even Transport Troops to Nakhchivan via Armenia's Airspace, Expert Details

Azerbaijan can even transport weapons and troops to Nakhchivan using civilian aircraft, and the distance from Nakhchivan to Yerevan is only 42 km, said military expert Van Hambardzumyan in an interview with Factinfo.

As previously reported, the Azerbaijani airline has resumed flights from Baku to Nakhchivan via Armenian airspace. According to Hambardzumyan, this poses a strategic threat to Armenia. Through these flights, Azerbaijan can easily transport ammunition to Nakhchivan, and any munitions entering Nakhchivan create a serious danger for Armenia itself.

"Every civilian aircraft has a cargo compartment where various types of military supplies and arms can be transported, albeit in limited quantities, so serious strategic transfers can occur to the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. Additionally, it can also transport a large number of soldiers disguised as civilians," Hambardzumyan noted.

The expert also did not rule out that Azerbaijan could install surveillance equipment within civilian aircraft and conduct reconnaissance operations in Armenia, which the Armenian side might not even be aware of. "When an aircraft flies over Armenian territory at night, nothing prevents, for example, a reconnaissance balloon from descending into our territory. Moreover, during the Cold War, many countries placed special reconnaissance equipment on civilian aircraft to monitor enemy air defense systems, conduct position location and radio reconnaissance, and even carry out various photographic works. These devices are not visible at first glance, and once they enter Armenian airspace, all intelligence operations will be activated, allowing Azerbaijan to conduct intelligence on Armenian air defense positions and locate our air defense units. Additionally, they can monitor radio communications and intercept mobile communications," Hambardzumyan explained.

The expert also recalled that Armenia’s airspace has always been open to Azerbaijan, but Azerbaijan itself had refrained from flying through Armenian airspace because it had to pay fees to Armenia. According to Hambardzumyan, by resuming flights through Armenian airspace, Azerbaijan is pursuing specific goals. First, to show its society that they have brought Armenia to the point where it has opened its airspace for them, and also to instigate public unrest within Armenia.

It should be noted that on October 5, Iran closed its airspace to Azerbaijani military aviation, and just one day later, on October 6, Armenia allowed Azerbaijan to resume flights through its airspace. When asked if this was a demarche against Iran and how this might be perceived in Iran, the expert indicated that Iran may interpret this as an anti-Iranian move. "The current authorities in Armenia are not trusted by Iran, and Iran is Armenia's only ally in this region. It is vital that relations with Iran are not spoiled. They should have thought things through carefully so that this would not be perceived as an anti-Iranian step. Iran evaluates these actions negatively regarding Armenia. If we analyze the statements of Iranian officials, Iran frequently hints at a lack of trust in Armenia's authorities. A serious anti-Iranian coalition is forming, and it is crucial for Iran to be confident that it has a strong ally in Armenia. However, when doubts arise, even this small step is perceived as anti-Iranian, and thus Armenia becomes partially part of the anti-Iranian coalition," Hambardzumyan stated.