Shooting down the MI-24 helicopter during a training flight was an act of war and provocation by Azerbaijan, political scientist Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan told Tert.am.
According to him, the Armenian side must give an adequate – and even more aggressive – response to Azerbaijan.
“I am sure it was a provocation by Azerbaijan. As far as I know a fight is going on for the helicopter there. I think our side’s all steps must be serious and concrete because Azerbaijan has no right to take our helicopter, even a shot down one,” he said.
Mr Melik-Shahnazaryan finds it difficult to predict the consequences of Azerbaijan’s act of war. However, the Armenian side must retaliate, he said.
“If we do not retaliate now, we cannot be sure that they will not shoot down a civil helicopter or an airplane. This is a challenge for Armenia, Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh] and the international community, including the three co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. Azerbaijan is taking advantage of an unstable political situation in Russia and is resorting to ‘probing actions.’ Azerbaijan does not even have a right to think its provocations can ever go unpunished,” Mr Melik-Shahnazaryan said.
Heritage parliamentary group member Tevan Poghosyan said that no one can say that the war is over.
“We are at war and we must always be ready to respond to such provocations.”
Faithful to its style, Azerbaijan resorts to provocations thereby showing that it not only continues ‘sniping war’, but is also ready to use their air defense forces.
“We must get accustomed to everything and be ready and, of course, respond to this all – and even more – for them to always realize,” he said.
In response to a remark that this is an unprecedented incident, Mr Poghosyan said that year by year Azerbaijan’s actions are becoming more and more “unprecedented.”
“So we must once more be convinced that our war is not over,” he said.
As regards the Armenia’s side’s response, he said that Armenian military command has repeatedly stated that no provocation will go unpunished.
“This is evidence of Azerbaijan constantly getting ready for war. It is not only damage to the Nagorno-Karabakh air forces, but also a message to the international community that Azerbaijan’s only aim is hostilities and it is prepared for that,” Mr Poghosyan said.
Deputy Director of the Institute of Literature Vardan Devrikyan, who participated in the Nagorno-Karabakh war, said that Azerbaijan’s action was a cynical provocation. The following conclusion must be made: even if an aircraft overflies Nagorno-Karabakh, it must have security guarantees.
“Azerbaijan has done it, and the international community will ‘digest’ its action, and our steps will not be effective. Effectiveness means being strong and throwing them into panic,” Mr Devrikyan said.
Azerbaijan does not miss a single chance to escalate tensions. The Armenian side must draw lessons from the incident and, besides drawing political conclusions, become invulnerable both on the land and in the air.