Editor's note: Details were added after the fifth paragraph
Azerbaijan, Baku, March 9 / Trend K.Zarbaliyeva /
Azerbaijani Internal Troops Commander General Lieutenant Zakir Hasanov said the combat readiness of the armed forces is high and they are prepared to liberate the occupied territories.
"Azerbaijani soldiers are ready to fulfill their tasks. The soldiers are able to liberate their lands from occupation. The combat readiness of the Azerbaijani Interior Troops is high and they are have modern arms and equipment. Our security can be compared with the security of similar patterns of leading states," Hasanov told journalists today.
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 seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the United States - 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 region and the occupied territories.
Hasanov said officers are educated and trained in military schools and training centers in leading countries abroad and then apply their skills at home. He added that Azerbaijan's experience is useful for other countries.
"We have created the most modern educational system and this is reflected in our operational capability," he said.
Interior Troop military units have dormitories, canteens and medical centers equipped with central heating meeting international standards. They also have a laboratory for determining food quality, Hasanov said.