Azerbaijan’s Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov said that delaying the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict leads to its escalation on a broader scale.
"The conflict must be resolved fairly and in accordance with international law as soon as possible. Otherwise, the enemy will feel the will, patriotism and strength of the Azerbaijani army," he said.
Despite facing strong international pressure, the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders have failed to agree on the basic principles of ending the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict put forward by Russia, the United States and France in 2011.
Armenia and Azerbaijan thus remain officially at war over Nagorno-Karabakh and the dispute is a major source of tension in the South Caucasus region wedged between Iran, Russia and Turkey.
No country - not even Armenia - officially recognizes Karabakh as an independent state.
The mountainous rebel region has been controlled by ethnic Armenians since it broke free of Baku's control after a fierce war in the early 1990s that killed 30,000 people.
