Azerbaijan: President Says Baku Ready for War with Armenia

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev declared on June 26 that his country is ready to go to war with neighboring Armenia "at any moment," in order to regain the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory.

"Talks . . . have brought about no results. Under the circumstances we, of course, have to rely on our military power," Aliyev said during an Army Day address, the APA news agency reported.

After observing military exercises, Aliyev claimed that Azerbaijan has the strongest army in the South Caucasus. The president added that it was Azerbaijan's "sovereign right" to resort to force, if Armenia did not show more negotiating flexibility, Russia's Regnum news agency reported.

Several commentators in Armenia said that Aliyev's words were meant for domestic consumption, and did not reflect a major shift in Baku's position on the Karabakh peace process.