Key stage of Caucasus-2020 exercise takes place amid conflict between invited countries

On Thursday, participants of the Caucasus-2020 military exercise practiced destruction of manoeuvre enemy' military vehicles and strongholds at a training ground in the Volgograd Region. Analysts suggest that Azerbaijan and India would be able to take part in the Caucasus-2020 military exercise in case if Armenia, China, and Pakistan had not responded to the Russia's invitation.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on September 21, the Caucasus-2020 military exercise was launched in Southern Russia, Armenia, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia. The exercise was joined by about 1000 soldiers and officers from Armenia, Belarus, China, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Iran.

Earlier, Azerbaijan and Armenia have taken part in military events together with Russia, but at different periods of time and at different training grounds, says Vasily Dandykin, First Rank Captain in reserve. "At this stage of tense relations, the both sides treat the presence of their military units at the same training grounds as unacceptable," Vasily Dandykin explained.

According to him, cases when forces of conflicting countries take part in the same military exercises are generally rare.

Tatiana Shaumyan, the director of the Centre for Indian Studies, associates the India's refusal also with the participation of China and Pakistan in the Caucasus-2020 military exercise. "In their refusal, the Indian authorities did not focus on their difficult relations with China and Pakistan, but delicately referred to the pandemic," Tatiana Shaumyan said.