Azernews.Az

By Nazrin Gadimova

A meeting of the Committee of Chiefs of the General Staffs of the CIS countries' armed forces is underway in Baku.

Held for the first time in Azerbaijan, the meeting has brought together the representatives of Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Kyrgyzstan.

Addressing the event, Azerbaijan's First Deputy Defense Minister Colonel General Najmaddin Sadigov said the indecision of international organizations, including the CIS, has endorsed the unpunished occupation of the Azerbaijani lands for a long time.

"As long as economic indicators grow along with the development of the society, the Azerbaijani armed forces will be strengthened," he said.

"The country's military budget increases every year. This trend will continue. Our people would have reached even more success if the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict did not exist."

He said as a result of the policy of ethnic cleansing and occupation of Azerbaijani territories, more than one million Azerbaijanis were forced to leave their ancestral lands, adding that Azerbaijan stands for the peaceful settlement of the conflict and believes that there are still chances for it.

"But at the same time, the patience of the Azerbaijani people is not unlimited," he added. "We believe that this issue can be solved under international law principles.

Armenian occupation forces must comply with the requirements set out in the UN Security Council resolutions and leave Azerbaijan's territory, Sadigov said, adding that international law must be the same for all.

"Except for Armenia, Azerbaijan's territorial integrity has been recognized by all countries and international organizations," he said. "Azerbaijan calls for the implementation of international law provisions."

The chief of general staff of Azerbaijani armed forces said the policies pursued by Armenia have isolated it from all the regional economic projects.

"The instigators of this conflict must analyze what their country has lost and gained, be more aware of the realities of the past and present, and know that Azerbaijani people will never accept the current situation," he said, adding that Azerbaijan will use all its rights, envisaged by international law, to restore its territorial integrity.

Earlier, the participants of the meeting visited the graves of Azerbaijani National leader Heydar Aliyev and scientist-ophthalmologist and academician Zarifa Aliyeva in the Alley of Honor.

Azerbaijan, Russia, and Kazakhstan are represented by the Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces, while Belarus and Kyrgyzstan are represented by the first Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces.

The meeting will study conceptual approaches to the development of military cooperation between CIS countries and discuss joint activities in this area which will cover 2015-2020.

Moreover, the meeting will discuss the drafts on the "Concepts of development of co-state radar identification system", "Agreement on the status of military engineering troops of the Armed Forces", and "Agreement on the exchange of geospatial information in accordance with the interests of the CIS Armed Forces".

The meeting will also focus on preparing and organizing competitions for the military field testing of the Armed Forces of the CIS countries and other issues.