Interfax, Russia
April 24 2010

Armenian defense minister warns Azerbaijan against aggression

YEREVAN April 24

If Azerbaijan resorts to force against Armenia, this will lead to a
disaster for Baku, Armenian Defense Minister Seiran Oganian warned on
Saturday.

"Our army is more than combat prepared today, and it is ready not only
to defend the country but also to take preemptive measures. We should
understand that our advantage over Azerbaijan is that we try to
resolve the existing problems and conflicts in a peaceful way,"
Oganian told journalists at a memorial complex for the victims of the
Armenian massacre in the Ottoman Empire.

Azerbaijan has been regularly making militant remarks, Oganian said.
"They are trying to put psychological pressure on us and on the
international community. But this is impossible. If Azerbaijan tries
to put pressure and use force against our people, this will turn out
badly for Azerbaijan itself and will lead to a disastrous situation,
because we have the second advantage: we defend our homeland," he
said.

Azeri President Ilham Aliyev criticized the negotiating process on
settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on Friday. He said Azerbaijan
should be ready to use force at any moment to liberate its lands.

"The war is not over, and only its first stage has been finished, and
we should make sure to be able to liberate our land by military force
at any moment," Aliyev said

Azeri Defense Minister Safar Abiyev said recently that, after
purchasing and deploying new weapons, the Azeri armed forces can now
hit targets on the entire territory of Armenia.