Azernews.Az

BAKU – An Azerbaijani military official has dismissed the statement by the "defense minister" of the Armenian-backed separatist regime operating in the occupied Nagorno Karabakh region, Movses Hakobyan, that the self-proclaimed republic "would win again" if a new war erupts with Azerbaijan.

Defense Ministry spokesman Eldar Sabiroglu said such statements by the separatist leaders are "far from reality" and baseless, and aim to defuse tension at home.

"They understand themselves that the situation is absolutely different, and are therefore trying to defuse tension at home by making such empty statements," Sabiroghlu said.

According to him, long-standing major shortfalls in military units in Armenia and the occupied Azerbaijani territories are causing public outcry.

"So, the Armenian leadership is concerned over this, they are thinking how to overcome this predicament. They are extremely worried. Worried about the development of the Azerbaijani military and the new weaponry it is acquiring."

Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a fragile cease-fire in 1994. About 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory, including Nagorno Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, has been under the occupation of Armenian armed forces since the war. OSCE-brokered peace talks have been largely fruitless so far. Azerbaijani officials have repeatedly warned that the country’s land will be liberated by force if peace talks yield no result.

Sabiroglu said a recent report released by the British-based Center for International Studies could be considered "apt response" to Armenia, as the comparisons it drew up confirm that the Azerbaijani armed forces are much more powerful that those of Armenia on all counts.

"This is the truth. If we add the high combat readiness of our military personnel, [it is evident that] if [new] war erupts, Azerbaijan will defeat Armenia in a short time."