Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

The most important task for the Azerbaijani Army is to liberate the occupied territories.

Azerbaijani Defense Minister Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov made the remarks in his congratulatory message to Azerbaijani servicemen, Defense Ministry said.

Hasanov said the servicemen shouldn't forget that 20 percent of the Azerbaijan's territories are under occupation and the main task is to free these lands from invasion.

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 the U.S, Russian, and French mediators have been largely fruitless so far.

As a result of Armenia's military aggression, over 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed, 4,866 are reported missing, 100,000 were injured, and 50,000 were disabled.

The UN Security Council has passed four resolutions on Armenia's withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been enforced to this day.

Hasanov noted that military service is a difficult responsibility, adding that the conscripts must observe the rules and charter of the service to carry out the orders of their superior officers.

Recalling the recent a large-scale technical and operational exercises of the Azerbaijani Army under the supervision of Azerbaijani President, Hasanov said the drills prove once again that Azerbaijan has an army capable of fulfilling any combat mission.

The joint operational and tactical exercise of the Ministry of Defense, Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and units and detachments of the State Border Service was held on the 96^th anniversary of the establishment of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan on June 26.