In an upbeat televised address to the nation on Sunday evening (4 October), Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev announced that Azerbaijan had regained control over a number of towns and settlements that had been under Armenian control since the 1992-94 conflict, and said this was a moment when Azerbaijanis wept with joy.
The president lashed out at the Armenian leadership and accused them of being responsible for the breakdown in negotiations. He said that foreign leaders had been calling him and asking him what were his conditions for a cease fire. He said that his conditions to Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan "were the same as before
- to leave our lands, to leave them, to stop the confrontation. Not in word but in deed.
- Let him say that he recognizes the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, as stated in the fundamental principles.
- Let him say that he will withdraw his troops from the occupied territories, as stated in the fundamental principles.
- Let him say that he apologizes to the Azerbaijani people and say that Karabakh is not Armenia.
- The last condition is to give us a schedule for a withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from the occupied territories.
Then, of course, we will restore the ceasefire. But it is difficult to do it now when fierce battles underway. Because if we stop, they will not stop. But at least it would be possible to work on that. But requests to stop and give them some time... Why should we give them time? Give them time to gather strength? Give them time to attack us again? Do they really think we are so naïve? Give them time to come to the talks... I said what I needed, and this is all."
Aliyev criticised the international community for not taking a firmer stand with Armenia as regards the territories of Azerbaijan it was occupying, singling out the Minsk Group and the EU for not reacting.
The full speech of president Ilham Aliyev's address is available in english on the website of the Azerbaijani presidential administration and you can read it here.
related content: Nikol Pashinyan in passionate appeal to Armenian nation as conflict reaches decisive moment
source: commonspace.eu with president.az
