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Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
May 15 2013
Azerbaijan conducts drill close to Karabakh
BAKU - Agence France-Presse
Azerbaijan is carrying out major military exercises close to the
disputed Nagorno-Karabakh frontline with Armenia, the country's
defense ministry said yesterday.
`The armed forces of Azerbaijan have started the next stage of
large-scale military exercises in the frontline zone,' the defense
ministry said in a brief statement.
The exercises - which include both land and air forces - will last
until the end of the week, the statement said.
The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia began in 1988 on Armenian
territorial claims over Azerbaijan. Since 1992 Armenian Armed Forces
have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan including the Nagorno-Karabakh
region and its seven surrounding districts, and no final peace deal
has been signed since a 1994 ceasefire.
Frequent clashes between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops along their
border and in the disputed region of Nagorno Karabakh - with 15 people
reportedly killed last year from both sides - highlight the risk of a
fresh conflict between the arch-foes.
Flush with petrodollars, oil-rich Azerbaijan has threatened to take
back the disputed region by force if negotiations do not yield
results, while Armenia has vowed massive retaliation against any
military action.
Azerbaijan held similar exercises close to the frontline to test new
weaponry in February, according to an earlier statement from the
defense ministry.
Last month forces belonging to the region's Armenian-backed
administration staged their own military exercises, local media
reported.
May/15/2013
From: A. Papazian
May 15 2013
Azerbaijan conducts drill close to Karabakh
BAKU - Agence France-Presse
Azerbaijan is carrying out major military exercises close to the
disputed Nagorno-Karabakh frontline with Armenia, the country's
defense ministry said yesterday.
`The armed forces of Azerbaijan have started the next stage of
large-scale military exercises in the frontline zone,' the defense
ministry said in a brief statement.
The exercises - which include both land and air forces - will last
until the end of the week, the statement said.
The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia began in 1988 on Armenian
territorial claims over Azerbaijan. Since 1992 Armenian Armed Forces
have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan including the Nagorno-Karabakh
region and its seven surrounding districts, and no final peace deal
has been signed since a 1994 ceasefire.
Frequent clashes between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops along their
border and in the disputed region of Nagorno Karabakh - with 15 people
reportedly killed last year from both sides - highlight the risk of a
fresh conflict between the arch-foes.
Flush with petrodollars, oil-rich Azerbaijan has threatened to take
back the disputed region by force if negotiations do not yield
results, while Armenia has vowed massive retaliation against any
military action.
Azerbaijan held similar exercises close to the frontline to test new
weaponry in February, according to an earlier statement from the
defense ministry.
Last month forces belonging to the region's Armenian-backed
administration staged their own military exercises, local media
reported.
May/15/2013
From: A. Papazian