US Air Forces College delegation on familiarization visit

Azeri defense minister, Colonel-General Safar Abiyev received a delegation of teachers and cadets from the US Air Forces College Tuesday.

The Azeri minister touched upon Azerbaijan's achievements over the past years of independence, saying Azerbaijan is continuing to integrate into the world's security entities and underscoring the cooperation with the Nato and the US. He hoped that Azeri nationals would also have a chance to study in the college.

Head of the delegation, Colonel John Jogerst called their visit to the Caucasus very interesting. Answering the questions of the delegation, S. Abiyev said that Armenia has earned an image of a country backing separatism and terrorism in the region. It has amassed a lot of unregistered and uncontrolled weaponry and military hardware being handed over to PKK terrorists.

Azerbaijan's cooperation with the US is of strategic nature. We will push ahead with cooperating with the Nato, he said. "We are building our air forces in conformity with Nato standards", the minister noted. Asked about the security of Nakhchivan, S. Abiyev said there had never been an Armenian state in the Caucasus. The Russian Empire gifted the Azeri lands of Nakhchivan and Iravan to Armenians as a reward for their active assistance in the 1828 war with Iran. These 9,000 square meter wide lands were populated with Armenians from Iran and other nations. The Azeri province of Zangazur was forcibly extracted from Azerbaijan and given to Armenia shortly after the establishment of the Soviet power in Azerbaijan. Thus, Nakhchivan became an enclave off Azerbaijan, the minister said.

There operates "Nakhchivan" society in Armenia, which alleges that Nakhchivan is their land. So, Armenia is making new territorial claims to Azerbaijan, Mr. Abiyev said.

Safar Abiyev said in conclusion that the Azerbaijan people has suffered much from Armenia's aggressive policy and Armenian terrorism and therefore will take an active part in the anti-terror operation, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday.