Azerbaijan, Baku, March 28 / Trend M. Aliyev /
Gurban Etirmishli, the director of the National Seismological Service Center, told Trend that Azerbaijan is planning on closely monitoring Armenian explosions in the occupied territories.
The Armenian armed forces regularly conduct military exercises at which explosions are carried out in occupied territories. Azerbaijan now plans to monitor these areas through seismic stations. Both digital seismic stations and seismic stations with satellite programs will be planted in the Agdam, Beylagan and Fuzuli regions, according to a contract signed with the U.S Kinemetrik company.
"Besides the tremors, the detailed information about the explosions made by Armenians in the occupied territories will also be collected through the installed equipment," Etirmishli said.
As a whole there will be up to 35 land seismic stations in Azerbaijan in 2011, of which five land and three offshore stations. Etirmishli adds that the seismic stations, produced by Japanese experts together with Kinemetrik, are considered to be among the most reliable seismic
equipment in the world.
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 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 surrounding
regions.