President Aliyev: Azerbaijan to build up its military might with modern hardware
BAKU. July 19 (Interfax) - The Azeri government will be procuring modern hardware for the national Armed Forces, President Ilham Aliyev said on Thursday at a government meeting dedicated to socioeconomic development in the first half of 2013.
"We will continue to build up our military might and acquire the latest defense products," he said.
The military parade held in Azerbaijan in June displayed the country's muscle and kindled fears in Armenia, the president said.
"We are able to destroy any enemy lines with the weaponry we have in our possession, and, as I said at the parade, we can speak any language to our enemy," he added.
The military might of Azerbaijan, supported by diplomacy, will continue to play the key role in the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, the president said.
Azerbaijan has no problems in buying weaponry: it imports armaments from various states and develops the domestic defense sector, he said, noting that the number of countries wishing to have military cooperation with Azerbaijan kept growing.
"The media has given various estimates, from a $1 billion arms deal of Azerbaijan with one country to a $1.6 billion buy from another. I must say these estimates are not realistic. In fact, the scope of our military cooperation is a good deal larger. We are simply quiet about it," Aliyev said.
