Minister Hasanov arrives in Lithuania
By Amina Nazarli
Azerbaijan’s Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov is paying an official visit two Lithuania, where he is going to stay until July 2.
As part of his visit, Hasanov met with Lithuanian Defense Minister Juozas Olekas.
Following the face to face meeting between the two counterparts, the delegations of both sides held meeting in an expanded format.
The event discussed issues of regional security, the development of the Armed Forces, as well as the prospects for expanding military cooperation between the two countries.
The Azerbaijani defense minister informed his Lithuanian colleague about the military-political situation in the South Caucasus. He also touched upon Armenia's aggression against Azerbaijan, as well as the situation of Azerbaijani refugees and internally displaced persons.
The minister went on expressing concern about the unfair approach of some states to the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, and the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and the double standards used by these countries.
Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts from Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million were displaced as a result of the war.
Hasanov said thanks to President Ilham Aliyev today Azerbaijan
is a strong country armed with modern weapons.
”Azerbaijani army is ready and able to liberate its occupied land
at any moment. No one should have doubt about it. It's just a
matter of time. The states that are for the peace including
Lithuania, must demonstrate a strong position against the aggressor
and demand unconditional withdrawal of the invaders from the
Azerbaijani territory,” he noted.
Following Lithuania, the minister will then travel to Latvia where he will stay until July 4.
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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli
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