Aliyev dismisses the idea of "status" for Nagorno-Karabakh

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has dismissed the idea of "status" for Nagorno-Karabakh. Speaking whilst visiting territories that have recently been retaken by Azerbaijan during its recent war with Armenia, Aliyev said that Azerbaijan had restored its territorial integrity.

"I have repeatedly spoken about the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. I said that we would never allow for the establishment of a second Armenian state on historical land of Azerbaijan. I said that the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan had never been and never would be negotiable. I said that Azerbaijan would restore its territorial integrity. I said that if it was not possible to do that peacefully, we would restore it by military means. My speeches are everywhere. They have been published. I said these words and I did what I said," he said.

Azerbaijan has restored its territorial integrity, President Aliyev stressed.

"We have restored our territorial integrity, expelled the occupiers from the occupied territories, prevented the establishment of a second Armenian state, and there can be no talk of any status," he added.

Aliyev said all citizens of Azerbaijan, representatives of all peoples and religions live normally, in peace and harmony here.

"The Armenian people will live like this too. We have nothing against the Armenian people. I have said in numerous interviews over the past 44 days that they are our citizens and they will see that they will live well under the leadership of Azerbaijan, that they must get rid of the criminal and cowardly junta."

source: commonspace.eu with agencies
photo: Azerbaijan president Ilham Aliyev and his wife at a historic bridge connecting Azerbaijan with Iran in an area recently retaken by Azerbaijan during the war with Armenia. (picture courtesy of the press service of the president of Azerbaijan).

Related articles

Editor's choice
News
Key European countries back Denmark in the face of Trump's continuing insistence on taking over Greenland

Key European countries back Denmark in the face of Trump's continuing insistence on taking over Greenland

 Six major European countries have declared their support to Denmark following renewed insistence by the US that it must have control over Greenland. "Greenland belongs to its people, and only Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters concerning their relations," said the leaders of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, and Spain, in a joint statement, issued on Tuesday (6 January), together with Denmark. On Sunday, Donald Trump said the US "needed" Greenland - a semi-autonomous region of fellow Nato member Denmark - for security reasons. He has refused to rule out the use of force to take control of the territory, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned on Monday that an attack by the US would spell the end of Nato. The issue of Greenland's future resurfaced in the wake of the US military intervention in Venezuela, during which elite troops went in to seize the country's President Nicolás Maduro and take him to face drugs and weapons charges in New York. Following the raid, Trump said the US would "run" Venezuela for an unspecified period of time. He also said the US was returning to an 1823 policy of US supremacy in its sphere of influence in the Western hemisphere - and he warned a number of countries the US could turn its attention to them. The US military raid in Venezuela has reignited fears that the US may consider using force to secure control of Greenland. A day after the raid, Katie Miller - the wife of one of Trump's senior aides - posted on social media a map of Greenland in the colours of the American flag, alongside the word "SOON". On Monday, her husband Stephen Miller said it was "the formal position of the US government that Greenland should be part of the US". In an interview with CNN, he also said the US "is the power of Nato. For the US to secure the Arctic region, to protect and defend Nato and Nato interests, obviously Greenland should be part of the US." Asked repeatedly whether the US would rule out using force to annex it, Miller responded: "Nobody's going to fight the US over the future of Greenland." Stressing they were as keen as the US in Arctic security, the seven European signatories of Tuesday's joint statement said this must be achieved by Nato allies, including the US "collectively" - whilst "upholding the principles of the UN Charter, including sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders". Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen welcomed the statement and called for "respectful dialogue". "The dialogue must take place with respect for the fact that Greenland's status is rooted in international law and the principle of territorial integrity," Nielsen said. Trump has claimed that making Greenland part of the US would serve American security interests due to its strategic location and its abundance of minerals critical to high-tech sectors. Greenland, which has a population of 57,000 people, has had extensive self-government since 1979, though defence and foreign policy remain in Danish hands. While most Greenlanders favour eventual independence from Denmark, opinion polls show overwhelming opposition to becoming part of the US.

Popular