Baku, Azerbaijan, June 20
By Samir Ali - Trend:
Thanks to the successful operation of the Azerbaijani army in Nakhchivan, 11,000 hectares of the territory have been liberated from the Armenian occupation, Azerbaijani Defense Minister Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov said at a press conference June 20.
The minister noted that a very successful operation was carried out in Nakhchivan.
"Now the Azerbaijani army also controls the road leading to Lachin. This is our another success," Hasanov said.
He stressed that the goal is to prepare the army for real combat. "Today, the Azerbaijani army is able to liberate the occupied territories," the minister said.
As a result of successful actions, the village of Gunnut of the Sharur district and the strategic heights of Khunut (2,065 meters), Gyzylgaya (1,683 meters), and Mehridag (1,869 meters), located around the village, came under the control of Azerbaijani units.
Also today, Minister of Defense Zakir Hasanov observed the training involving the cadets of the Higher Military School named after Heydar Aliyev.
The minister visited a shooting range in a center for training of snipers, where he observed the organization and practical execution of shooting.
The minister of defense also watched the training of motorized rifle, tank and artillery units.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.