Azerbaijan launched a military show of force in Baku today, two days after talks with Armenia aimed at resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict broke down.
Troops and army vehicles streamed through the capital as Azberbaijani President Ilham Aliyev pledged to increase military spending and win control of territories disputed with Armenia.
Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a war over Nagorno-Karabakh starting in 1988. The conflict killed more than 20,000, forced 1 million into exile, and led to a territorial dispute that has not yet been resolved. A cease-fire in 1994 ended the fighting, but skirmishes continue. Gunfire and mines routinely kill dozens of people on both sides of the border each year.
Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian met with his Azerbaijani counterpart on June 24 for negotiations on the issue, hosted by Russia’s President Dmitry Medvedev in Kazan, Russia.
The outcome was a major disappointment after hopes had been raised of a long-awaited breakthrough in the talks.
compiled from agency reports