In 2015, Azerbaijan paid special attention to formation of its army and strengthening of the material and technical base of the country’s armed forces, said Azerbaijani Prime Minister Artur Rasizade at a plenary session in the country’s parliament on March 15.
He said these steps were taken due to the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The conflict began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council’s four resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Rasizade added that the Armenian side, by dragging out time, is evading the problem’s solution, while international organizations have taken a position contrary to the international law on this issue.
“With this in mind, special attention was paid to strengthening of the Azerbaijani armed forces,” Rasizade said, adding this is proved by the response actions taken by the country’s armed forces to the Armenian sabotages.
Trend