Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb. 17 / Trend , E.Rustamov /
Baku told Yerevan to be clear about which country poses a threat to regional stability.
"Recently Armenian officials made statements calling Azerbaijan a threat to regional security," Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Khazar Ibrahim told Trend .
Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian blamed Azerbaijan for ignoring agreements, initiating an arms race and violating weapons quotas and the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE).
"Azerbaijan's bellicose statements and arms race pose a danger to regional security," Nalbandian said at a meeting with teaching staff and students at Warsaw University.
Ibrahim said Nalbandian's latest statement blaming Azerbaijan for regional conflicts is not an exception.
"When we review the minister's statements, we have a good grasp of present-day Armenia," Ibrahim said.
"First, Armenia is the country number-one when it comes to violating the CFE Treaty - both on its own territory and occupied Azerbaijani territories. Second, Armenia spends large amounts on weapons and armed forces," he added.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the three South Caucasus countries - Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia - were given an arms quota based on the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE).
Each country was to have no more than 220 tanks, 220 armored combat vehicles, 285 artillery systems, 100 aircrafts and 50 helicopters.
Azerbaijan accuses Armenia of exceeding the limit on conventional weapons after receiving information that Armenia deployed 300 armored vehicles to occupied Azerbaijani territories.
Armenia is an aggressor and occupant that threatens regional security, Ibrahim said.
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.
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