Conflict with Armenia prevents Azerbaijan from participating in "Kavkaz-2020" exercises

The participation in the large-scale military exercises "Kavkaz-2020" conducted in Southern Russia and Southern Caucasus is important for Armenia as Russia's strategic ally, analysts believe, and explain that the Baku's refusal to take part n the exercises has to do, in particular, with the July aggravation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

The absence of Azerbaijani militaries at the exercises of this scale is explained by the complicated relations with Armenia, Anatoly Tsyganok, the head of the Centre for Military Forecasting, has stated.

According to Ali Magomaev, a political analyst, Azerbaijan has found an ally in the person of Turkey, and now it has no need to buy weaponry from Russia, which sells it to Armenia.

Telman Abilov, the head of the NGO "Military Lawyers", believes that there is no practical sense for Azerbaijan to take part in the "Kavkaz-2020" exercises.

"The priority for Azerbaijan is the liberation of occupied territories ... The 'Kavkaz-2020' is a demonstration of Russia's military power; and it has nothing to do with Azerbaijan," Mr Abilov has stated.

Togrul Djuvarly, a member of the Azerbaijani National Public Committee for European Integration, treats the Azerbaijan's participation in the exercises as inappropriate.

"While Armenia is aggravating the situation on the border and in Karabakh, participation in the exercises together with Armenian militaries is absolutely unacceptable from the point of view of Azerbaijani interests and common sense," Mr Djuvarly has explained, adding that until Russia takes steps to restore Baku's confidence, Azerbaijan won't take part in its military initiatives.