Reports on possible mobilization in Azerbaijan are rumors

There is no need for total mobilization in Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Political Analysis and Information Provision Department head Elnur Aslanov believes.

Azerbaijani army is strong, it has the strongest potential and military equipment in the region, Aslanov said. He was commenting on the possibility of declaring total mobilization.

He said the Armenian leadership is responsible for the recent incidents on the contact line of troops. Armenia has always held a destructive position in resolving the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and restoring peace and stability in the region.

"By this, Yerevan shows that it is interested in preservation of the status quo," Aslanov added.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France and the U.S. - are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.


/Trend/