Defense Minister continues visit to frontline military units
By Sara Rajabova
Azerbaijan's Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov visited the line of contact between the Azerbaijani and Armenian troops on November 13.
Hasanov began his visits to the frontline military units last week, following his appointment to the post of the defense minister.
Hasanov was accompanied by First Deputy Minister, Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces Colonel-General Nejmeddin Sadigov and other senior officials.
They visited the military units in the front line, got acquainted with the situation, and met with soldiers and officers serving at the front line.
Distinguished soldiers were awarded titles, medals and valuable presents.
Hasanov got acquainted with combat readiness of the military units on the front line, capabilities of modern armored vehicles, level of organization and conduct of combat duty, as well as moral and psychological state of the servicemen.
Reports and suggestions of the commanding staff were heard and the tasks on strengthening the combat readiness and discipline, as well as improvement of the social conditions of the servicemen were given during the visit.
Ceasefire breaches by Armenian armed forces have kept tension high on the front line.
Frequent ceasefire violations occur almost every day, causing great hardship for the people living near the frontline, as they are unable to live normal everyday lives and are always under a threat.
Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor that caused a brutal war in the early 1990s. Long-standing efforts by US, Russian and French mediators have been largely unsuccessful so far.
As a result of the military aggression, over 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed, 4,866 are reported missing and almost 100,000 were injured, and 50,000 were disabled.
The UN Security Council has passed four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been enforced to this day.