Azerbaijan has launched large-scale military maneuvers as tensions escalated with neighboring Armenia over the occupied territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The drills that began on February 2 involve 20,000 soldiers, 300 armored vehicles, 200 missile launchers and artillery units and up to 20 military jets, the Defense Ministry in Baku said on its website.
The chief of General Staff, Nacmaddin Sadikov, is in command of the exercises, which involve all branches of Azerbaijan's military forces, the ministry said. It did not specify when the maneuvers would end.
Armenia captured nearly one-fifth of Azerbaijan’s internationally-recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts, in a war after the Soviet breakup in 1991.
While major hostilities ended with a cease-fire in 1994, no peace agreement has been signed.
Armenia has yet to comply with four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal from the occupied territory.
Azerbaijan says it reserves the right to use force to regain control of the territory should peace efforts led by Russia, France and the US fail.
ANN.Az
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