Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

The enemy must understand that the time has come to liberate Azerbaijan’s native lands from the occupation.

Azerbaijani Defense Minister, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov made the remark while adressing the graduation ceremony of students, who have passed the specialized officer training at the Training and Education Center of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, the defense ministry reported.

Hasanov noted that there is an important task before the Azerbaijani armed forces – to liberate Nagorno-Karabakh and other occupied regions of Azerbaijan.

He went on to add that the Azerbaijani army has been provided with the most sophisticated weapons and equipment. Currently, the Azerbaijani Army is one of the strongest, most highly-disciplined armies in the world and the leading in the region. It is equipped with new high-quality weapons made by domestic and foreign military-industrial systems.

Noting that Azerbaijani troops enjoy superiority on the frontline, Hasanov said this year, the enemy suffered heavy losses as result of the effective retaliation from the Azerbaijani side.

The ceasefire regime is being violated along the Armenia - Azerbaijan border on a daily basis. Azerbaijan’s positions come under intensive fire of the Armenian armed forces.

However, Azerbaijani soldiers stand vigilant and brave on guard of the country, responding to the enemy with deserved retaliatory fire, detecting their sabotage attempts beforehand, and inflicting serious losses on their manpower and combat equipment.

“The enemy is in panic, running and looking for a place to hide. The only combat task that lays ahead our well-experienced soldiers is to pursue the enemy forces everywhere, detect and destroy their points. The real military strength of Azerbaijan allows us to do it,” Hasanov said.

The defense minister went on to add that each Azerbaijani army officer should set an example for his military staff.

The development of the military is under special focus in Azerbaijan, a country that remains in a state of war with Armenia.

Standing strong against Armenia's unceasing operations along the line of contact, the Azerbaijani leadership empowers the military and has moved to formulate the necessary armament policy by adhering to international requirements.

Azerbaijan's military build-up is in line with the country's legal right to liberate its occupied lands by means of war, should it be necessary.

Azerbaijan's internationally recognized Nagorno-Karabakh territory turned into a conflict zone following Armenia's aggression in the early 1990s. As a result of an armed invasion, 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory fell under Armenian occupation. Nonetheless, the OSCE has attempted to foster a peaceful resolution to this conflict amid Armenia's persistent derailment.

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Sara Rajabova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SaraRajabova

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