Azerbaijan’s military superiority over some NATO countries A setback for Armenian revanchism

The Armed Forces of Azerbaijan have been included in the rating of the world's strongest armies. This is evidenced by the data presented by the US edition of US News and World Report. The Azerbaijani Army took 29th place in this rating. To make it clear how high this indicator is, I will point out that the Italian army is in 34th place. Italy, let me remind you, is a member of NATO.

Thus, Azerbaijan, which is not seeking NATO membership, has a military that is more capable and stronger than that of some NATO member countries. At the same time, Azerbaijan is committed to its obligations regarding security in Europe. This was stated by Anar Mutallimov, Acting Head of the Military-Political Affairs Department of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, at the Energy Security and Climate Change Forum within the framework of Azerbaijan's partnership with NATO.

"Looking at the 30-year period, it can be said that Azerbaijan has achieved significant successes. Azerbaijan prefers politically active cooperation with NATO on various issues. The country has committed to prioritizing security in the Euro-Atlantic region. It is a reliable partner in areas such as security sector reforms, environmental protection, peace and security, as well as energy security," he emphasized.

All this is undeniably true. It is also true that during the 44-day war, it was Azerbaijan that demonstrated a new strategy and tactics in conducting combat operations. The massive use of attack drones and small groups of special forces in the liberation of the temporarily occupied territories of our country was something that shocked and unsettled the military-political leadership of Armenia. Military experts from many countries of the world openly admitted that they were carefully studying the victorious strategy and tactics of the Azerbaijani Army.

After the 44-day war, the Azerbaijani Army has become even stronger and more combat-ready. President of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev stated this on 8 November 2022 during his speech at an event organised in Shusha on the occasion of Victory Day.

“I can say that our Armed Forces have grown even stronger in the last two years. Structural reforms have been conducted, new units have been established, the number of existing formations has been increased, and they have been supplied with weaponry, ammunition, and new equipment at the highest possible level. The current Azerbaijan Army is stronger than the Azerbaijan Army two years ago, and everyone should know this. Armenia and everyone else should know this!”

The ranking by US News and World Report only confirms this once again. Notably, Armenia is completely absent from this ranking, indicating that all attempts by the leadership of the "country of stones" to compensate for the losses incurred during the 44-day war have been unsuccessful. This fact is certainly acknowledged by at least some representatives of the Armenian authorities. For example, the MP of the National Assembly of Armenia from the ruling faction My Step, Sasun Mikaelyan, who also leads the terrorist organization "Yerkrapah," stated during a conversation with journalists that Armenia currently lacks the capability to effectively confront Azerbaijan, which is why it is necessary to proceed with the delimitation of borders. Mikaelyan noted that for 20 years, Azerbaijan has been purchasing modern weapons and military equipment, while in Armenia, "the previous authorities were preoccupied with looting."

There is a nuance in his statement. It is known that Mikaelyan replaced the notoriously infamous Manvel Grigoryan as head of "Yerkrapah," who earned the nicknames "The Butcher" and "Manvel the Canned Meat" due to his involvement in the unprecedented looting of the Armenian army. While Azerbaijan was working to strengthen its military in preparation for the liberation of temporarily occupied territories, various figures like Manvel, Robik, and Serjik were pillaging Armenia. Yet, during that time, Mikaelyan remained "heroically" silent. Now, he has "suddenly awakened" to the situation, albeit partially.

It's because the government in Armenia changed more than six years ago, which means that Nikol Pashinyan and his circle can and should be held accountable for many issues, including the outbreak of the 44-day war and the rocket attacks on peaceful Azerbaijani cities, which resulted in the deaths and injuries of hundreds of Azerbaijani elderly, women, and children. Mikaelyan did not object to any of this at the time. Now, however, he believes that Armenia must be rational and wise in the face of global shifts.

What can be said here? There is a clear transformation in the views of yet another Armenian politician. This is noteworthy because just last February, Sasun "heroically" declared that "Shusha must be liberated, not just with words, but with actions." Since then, much has changed. For instance, Azerbaijan conducted a brilliant one-day anti-terrorist operation in the Karabakh region, fully restoring its sovereignty and territorial integrity. The remnants of Armenian militants were destroyed, the Azerbaijani flag was raised in Khankendi, and some Armenian revanchists were left only to reassess the new reality.

As we can see, Mikaelyan's understanding of the situation is moving in the right direction. However, there are still those in Armenia who prefer to live in myths and illusions. They continue to promote the idea of revenge while ignoring the evident and indisputable reality, which was highlighted by the ranking from US News and World Report.