By Mushvig Mehdiyev

Azerbaijan has supplied its military units on the frontline with modern night vision equipment to monitor closely the enemy’s positions

In his article published at the Azerbaijani Army newspaper Yagub Ahadov, Colonel, Head of the Defense Ministry's Weapons and Technical Equipment Management Department, said a new generation ammunition along with the armament for hand grenades were supplied to motor rifle divisions to improve their combat power.

"Azerbaijani army is supplied with modern weapons and technical equipment. Ammo arsenal of the army now possesses 120 mm portable mortars 2S12 "SANI", 220 mm heavy flamethrower system ТОS-1А, 152 mm self-propelled howitzers "Msta-S" and 120 mm self-propelled artillery weapon 2S31 "Vena", while one military unit was completely equipped with the military vehicles of BMP-3 type," Ahadov noted.

Ahadov said the unserviceable and outdated weapons and armored equipment were replaced with new ones in an effort to ensure high-level combat readiness of the army.

Modern armament of all military units is of great importance for Azerbaijan, he added.

The Higher Military School named after Heydar Aliyev, as well as a training center of the armed forces greatly modernized their education systems last year to train army officers and ensigns, said Ahadov.

Azerbaijani authorities attach special importance to the country's armament given the ongoing conflict with Armenia, which illegally and forcibly occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh.

So, Azerbaijan's international purchases and domestic production of military equipment target protecting its territory from continuous aggression and provocations by the neighboring Armenia. The recent helicopter incident is a very example showing the furious anti-Azerbaijan policy of Armenia, a country threatening the peace and stability in the South Caucasus region.

Azerbaijan plans to allocate $5 billion to military in 2015 in an effort to improve the combat readiness, as well as the technical equipment and upgrade of its army.

The South Caucasus country purchases military equipment mostly from Turkey, Israel, Russia and the U.S. etc. It buys tanks from Russia as part of the agreement packages signed in 2011 and 2012. Six battalions of 94 tanks should be partially delivered to Azerbaijan, according to the agreement.

Azerbaijan also supports the domestic production of the weaponry and military equipment. The domestic production includes the Istiglal sniper rifle, Mubariz rifle, Orbiter-2M unmanned intelligence drones, Gurza armored patrol car, "Matador" and "Marauder" armored vehicles, anti-tank mines etc.

Armenian occupation of over 20 percent of the Azerbaijani lands has considerably harmed the country's economy and social life, as it forced nearly one million Azerbaijani IDPs to leave their native lands and live in inconvenient conditions.

Unlike Armenia, Azerbaijan has always announced its strong loyalty to peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. However, the Azerbaijani authorities do not rule out armed resolution to the protracted conflict, if peace efforts exhaust.

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