Why Azerbaijan stations Armed Forces along border with Armenia and not State Border Service

After the regular acts of provocation unleashed by the
enemy, we are being witness to something very interesting, which, we think,
cannot be justified by the flimsy and usual excuses, par for the course with
Azerbaijan.  

The national army of Azerbaijan constitutes the core among
the four principal bodies of the Azerbaijani security system. The army must be
stationed exclusively in the rear; even if it is positioned near the border, it
must be in the rear. Azerbaijan has — to be more accurate, it was said to have — 
only one state border control agency.

The relevant authorities of Azerbaijan have stated more than
once that the country’s state borders, including the one with the Republic of
Armenia, are guarded by the State Border Service of Azerbaijan (SBS). Thus, if
an all-out war is not going on, the SBS is assigned with the task of ensuring
the security of state borders. We would also like to mention that Azerbaijan
has repeatedly announced and shown that military units of the Defense Ministry
are stationed along the borders with the Republic of Artsakh, as well as in the
temporarily occupied territories. We do not think there is any need to explain
the motives behind this move. Let us note that this agency has army-like
military units, necessary military equipment and personnel.

Azerbaijani research, following the enemy’s recent acts of
provocation, shows that the casualties were servicemen of the Azerbaijani Armed
Forces. Thus, it becomes clear that a number of Azerbaijani army units and
military equipment are stationed on the state borders of the Republic of
Armenia, as well as in the sovereign territory of our country.

To be able to assess the situation, let us consider it all
from a geopolitical perspective.

Azerbaijan has repeatedly stated that its army units are
positioned in the rear or in territories where an all-out war is going on.
Thus, they are pursuing two major ends. First, they want to show their
political stance through military actions, saying that they do not recognize
the currently fixed borders. While, their second end is military: to enhance
resources and bring the security service forces together in the run-up to a
potential war.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Aram Poladyan Expert on
Azerbaijani Studies