Azerbaijan’s Defense Minister Col-Gen Zakir Hasanov has visited military units close to the ceasefire line, the ministry said on its website.

Hasanov, who took over in October as head of the army, “familiarized himself with the situation at military units and met soldiers and officers on patrol”, the ministry said.

He also inspected modern military hardware stationed at positions close to the ceasefire line. 

Azerbaijan is technically at war with neighboring Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh territory. 

Armenians captured nearly 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s internationally-recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts, in a war after the Soviet breakup in 1991.

Large-scale hostilities ended with a ceasefire in 1994 but no peace agreement has been signed.

Azerbaijan has repeatedly said it reserves the right to use military force to regain control of the territory should peace efforts fail.

ANN.Az