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YEREVAN. – I cannot comment on specific actions in specific directions, especially if they relate to our successes, advancement Artsrun Hovhannisyan, a representative of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia, told a briefing Wednesday, and referring to the reports that the Armenian forces had achieved success in the directions of Shahumyan and Getashen.

Referring to the Turkish F-16 fighter jets, he said that these jets operate from a distance and do not enter the Armenian air defense zone. "The issue of F-16 fighters has been around since mid-August, when the [Azerbaijani] military exercises ended, but the fighters were not removed from Azerbaijan, remaining in the airports of Azerbaijan, and our Defense Ministry has raised the issue with the relevant authorities," said Hovhannisyan.

As for the fact that Azerbaijan announced that there are no F-16 fighters in their arsenal, the representative of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia said: "We know very well what fighters are in their armed forces, and we know very well that the fighters in their ranks cannot perform their tasks properly, and that's why the [Turkish] F-16s are there.

Armenia possesses relevant information, including radio technical intelligence, and all those who deny and try not to take our official information seriously, the corresponding surprises are expected with radio technical intelligence evidence. We have gathered the evidence, you have it, and we will present those surprises in due time.

The F-16s were brought and were operating a few days ago. The President of Artsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh)] noted that reconnaissance flights and tactical solutions are being carried out. Other equipment, such as the [Turkish] Bayraktar [drone] and other types of UAVs which are not compatible with the MiG-29 or the SU-25 [fighter jets], were also brought in from the Second Turkish Air Force, so the F-16 was needed to be able to make this combination.

We understand very well, we have so much experience that the F-16 is in the air, helping Bayraktar. A Turkish radio communication plane is flying at the other side of the border. We know by boards, numbers as well as how they work in concert. We know very well that only the F-16 could see the SU-25 from a depth of at least 60 km from a corresponding altitude. No air defense equipment could detect it at that place at that time. The SU-29 could not do that. We can present all that to the relevant international experts."

Artsrun Hovhannisyan, however, did not say how many F-16 fighters there are in Azerbaijan at the moment, but noted that they perform their corresponding tasks in pairs.

Hovhannisyan said that they know through which country these F-16s appeared in Azerbaijan, but at the moment he could not publicize.

And asked whether Armenia can demand an international investigation, he answered. "I do not rule out anything."

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This text available in   Հայերեն and Русский
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