Azernews.Az

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry has expressed its view on the holding of military exercises by the Armenian armed forces in the Azerbaijani occupied lands and the Armenian president's participation there.

"There are no reasons for concern," deputy head of the Defense Ministry press service Teymur Abdullayev told Trend news agency. "The time will come and they will not be able to move in Karabakh."

According to information released by the press service of the Armenian President, Serzh Sargsyan was accompanied by Defence Minister Seyran Ohanyan, and other high ranking military officials during his visit to the occupied Azerbaijani territories. Sargsyan visited the positions on the contact line with Azerbaijani troops and familiarised himself with the military training of so-called "Nagorno-Karabakh army".

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.