Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb.7 / Trend M.Aliyev /
If the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is not settled through negotiations, Azerbaijan will have to liberate its occupied territories by other means, Azerbaijani Defense Minister Safar Abiyev said at his meeting with Turkish Chief of the General Staff, General of the Army Necdet Ozel, the press-service of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.
During his meeting with the Chief of the General Staff the Azerbaijani Defense Minister noted if efforts of the OSCE Minsk group, aimed at settling the conflict, will not yield any concrete results Azerbaijan will have to liberate its occupied territories by other means.
The minister said that's why Azerbaijan strengthens its Armed Forces.
During the meeting Mr Abiyev informed Mr Ozel on the military-political situation in the region and the problems, created by the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Importance of further deepening of Azerbaijani-Turkish military cooperation was also discussed at the meeting. Contribution of Azerbaijani-Turkish military relations to cooperation both within NATO and in bilateral form was especially noted.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of
Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 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 the 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.
