The newly appointed head of the Nagorno Karabakh Defence Army (the equivalent to the ministry of defence), Maj Gen Karen Abrahamyan visited military outposts along the line of contact in what is the first official visit of its kind. According to Maj Gen Abrahamyan, the aim of the visits wasContinue Reading
Just a few days apart, the leaders of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan, Bako Sahakyan and Ilham Aliyev both announced changes in their armed forces for the upcoming year. Both leaders announced modernisation plans for their armed forces for 2019. Aliyev was the first to announce such a change, which isContinue Reading
The acting Armenian Prime Minister (PM) Nikol Pashinian paid an official visit to Stepanakert to meet with his counterpart Bako Sahakyan. The two discussed bilateral co-operation between Armenia and Karabakh. Present during the meeting were other high-ranking government and military officials from both sides. Among the issues discussed were militaryContinue Reading
On 03 September 2018, the Monte Melkonian Military Academy in Armenia marked the graduation of over 40 formed officiers. The officers will be eventually stationed in the country’s numerous military bases, while some will continue in post-graduate programmes for further formation, adquiring diverse expertise in a particular field. Armenia’s DefenceContinue Reading
On 02 September 2018, a cross border shooting incident on the border between Armenia and Azerbijan gave way to a fire mid-way between border posts of the two countries. Initial reports stated that Azeri troops opened fire on the villages of Voskevan and Baghanis, which are approximately 1,2 km fromContinue Reading
The Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan met in Krakow, Poland on 18 January 2018. The meeting was organised by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and was reportedly behind closed doors, although photos of the meeting were made public. What exactly was discussed during the meeting remains unknown, however speculationContinue Reading
Between 3-8 December 2017, an Armenian delegation headed by Colonel Arthur Baghdasaryan, the head of Armenia’s Military Police paid an official visit to his Italian counterpart, head of the Carabinieri, Sabino Cavaliere. The visit took place within the framework of bilateral cooperation between the two ministries according to Armenia’s DefenceContinue Reading
Armenia’s Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan received the Canadian Ambassador to Armenia John Ronald Cruise on 18 October 2017. The meeting was aimed at discussing and furthering the prospects of cooperation between the two countries in defence field. Defense Minister Sargsyan and the ambassador also expressed readiness to examine theContinue Reading
The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan met in Geneva today, 16 October, during an official meeting aimed at agreeing to terms for measures to further weaken the tension between the two, avoiding losses at the front. However, no specific agreement on any solution, nor precise measures have been madeContinue Reading
On 11 September 2017 Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman received his Azeri counterpart, General Zakir Hasanov, in what was the first official visit of Azerbaijan’s Defence Minister to the country. Although the Israeli Defence Ministry has yet to officially comment on the visit, Azerbaijan’s Defence authorities released a brief statement, mentioning that during theContinue Reading
As announced beforehand, on 04 September 2017, Armenia’s Defence Minister Vigen Sargsyan (with no relation to President Sargsyan) paid an official visit to the Peoples Republic of China, where he met with the country’s Defence Minister, Chang Wanquan. The two sides signed and concluded a bilateral agreement for $1,5 millionContinue Reading
Azerbaijan’s defence minister receives large Turkish delegation headed by the country’s deputy defence minister and the heads of numerous Turkish defence firms. The two sides discussed further military coop. including joint weapons production. Interestingly, Turkish general Bahtiyar Ersay appears in a complete Azeri military uniform on Azerbaijan’s side of the
In January 2024, footage emerged of what appear to be Azeri military personnel in the ethnic-Armenian village of Hakaku, Nagorno Karabakh (NK). The village, along with the entire territory of NK were overran by Azerbaijan’s military during it’s offensive in September 2023. One of the first sources of the footage
Mystery flights from Azerbaijan’s Dallar airbase most likely military helicopter training flights, possibly Mi-8 gunships/transport or even Turkish T-129 gunships (recently seen in Azerbaijan during the “Mustafa Kemal Ataturk 2023” military drills. Neither aircraft had registration numbers according to @flightradar24, but did have call signs (SMK701 and SMK702) and ICAO 24-bit
An updated map of Tagavard village, Nagorno Karabakh, with its western half under Azeri military control and eastern under Karabakhi since the 2020 ceasefire, shows around 38 homes demolished. According to Sentinel Hub maps, the Azeri side demolished the homes between 2 and 12 July 2021. Military positions dividing the
At around 16:00 hours on 24 March 2022, reports emerged of Azeri troops overrunning Farukh village in Nagorno Karabakh. This village of 100 inhabitants lies around 2 km from the new 2020 ceasefire line-of-contact that separates Azeri and Karabakhi Armenian forces; it sits just below a major ridgeline considered a
On 12 March 2022, Nagorno Karabakh authorites reported 60mm mortar shells fired at Farukh village by Azeri troops. While no injuries were reported, a house was damaged. Karabakhi authorites provided photos of the damage, as well as that of an exploded mortar shell. Judging by the photos, NK Observer experts
