By Rashid Shirinov
Nagorno-Karabakh is the territory of Azerbaijan and it should be liberated from occupation, Turkish Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli said in Baku on September 28.
“Sooner or later these lands will be liberated," he said, Report informed.
Armenia still controls fifth part of Azerbaijan's territory and rejects implementing four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts.
Baku has repeatedly expressed its consent to come to the negotiating table with Yerevan to resolve the conflict by peaceful means, but Armenia continues to play for time and avoids substantive negotiations in order to preserve the inadmissible status quo in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Turkish minister further noted that Turkey’s military cooperation with Azerbaijan is at a high level. He added that the two countries act as one, and the strength of Azerbaijan is the power of Turkey and vice versa.
“We are facing problems in the purchase of weapons from abroad. Therefore, we need to make efforts in the field of military industry for production of our own weapons," Canikli said.
In Baku, Canikli will participate in the closing ceremony of the joint tactical and flight exercises "TurAz Eagle – 2017 of the Air Forces of Azerbaijan and Turkey”
The minister will also hold meetings at Azerbaijan`s Defense Ministry and other government bodies.
Azerbaijan and Turkey enjoy strategic relations in many fields, including the military sphere. Military cooperation between the brotherly countries dates back to 1992 when they signed an agreement on military education. Since then, the Azerbaijani and Turkish governments have been closely cooperating in both defense and security fields.