'Azerbaijani army ready to free occupied lands'

Today, the Azerbaijani army is highly efficient and is always ready to liberate the occupied lands of Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani official Aydin Mirzazade told the official website of the ruling New Azerbaijan party.

Azerbaijani army is a structure that meets the most modern requirements, Mirzazade said.

He said until now the state has taken significant steps for Azerbaijani armed forces to meet NATO standards.

In his opinion, these facts are well known also in Armenia which has occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijani territories and built its whole policy on the occupation of lands of neighboring countries.

"Today the Azerbaijani army is an indication of the power of the Azerbaijani state, proud of the Azerbaijani people, an army highly trained to ensure the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan," deputy chairman of the committee said.

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/