SPEECH OF ALIYEV RE ARMY BUILDING IN AZERBAIJAN

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Sept 16 2005

This meeting is dealing with the process of army building in
Azerbaijan. Today we are going to exchange views on the work done in
this sphere, tasks we have to solve and steps we have to take. In
all, the process of building disciplined army in Azerbaijan is
progressing rapidly and quite successfully. This process assumed a
system character after national leader of our people Heydar Aliyev
returned to power. Azerbaijan is living in a state of war, and our
lands are under occupation. This requires particular attention, and
as a Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the, I am engaged in these issues
every day as they are the most important to us. Azerbaijan should
restore its territorial integrity. We are exerting our efforts to
resolve the conflict peacefully, through negotiations. As you know,
however, no result has been achieved for many years of negotiations.

In all, finding fair solution to the conflict is possible, and I
am sure will do achieve this. The international law norms are on
Azerbaijan ‘s side, Nagorno-Karabakh is an integral part of Azerbaijan,
and our territorial integrity is recognized and supported by the
global community. The historical justice is on our side also.

It is no secret, the Armenians appeared in Nagorno-Karabakh in 1828,
and I remember a monument to 150th anniversary of the Armenian’s
settling here was erected in 1978. True, the Armenian separatists
destroyed the monument after they occupied the region, but this is
history, and everybody knows that. In other words, Nagorno-Karabakh
is an integral part of Azerbaijan from both legal and historical
standpoints.

Over the last years, Azerbaijan has achieved economic superiority
as well. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, economic situation
was the same in both countries. Azerbaijan, however, has made a great
progress. There was a drastic growth in the state budget in 2004-2005,
and Azerbaijan’s superiority will even increase considering the
country’s promising prospects.

Besides, four UN SC resolutions demanding unconditional release of
the occupied territories from Armenian armed forces is in force.

Recently, the issue has been included once again in the UN GA agenda.

This is our great diplomatic success. Upon our request, the
Organization of Cooperation and Security in Europe immediately
engaged in the issue sent a fact-finding mission to the region. The
mission’s final report confirms illegal settling of thousands
of ethnic Armenians in the occupied territories. This indicates
Armenian utterly ignores the demands of the international community,
and the international law norms. In January this year, the Council
of Europe adopted unambiguous and very fair resolution on the
problem. It is to the effect that Armenian unleashed an aggression
against Azerbaijan, occupied its territories and carried out ethnic
cleansing resulted in over million of Azerbaijanis becoming refugee
and internally displaced. The Organization of Islamic Conference
renders had always supported Azerbaijan’s position. Members of GUAM,
the organization playing an important role in regional politics –
I am sure this role will increase – also unambiguously called for
respect to territorial integrity of countries. In other words, all
the international organizations overtly expressed their positions on
the problem. Of course, we will try the issue remain in the agenda,
but we have to confess the proposals and resources of the international
organizations concerning the problem are being exhausted.

The OSCE Minsk group has recently intensified its activity. We can
see their visits to the region and negotiations, new approaches –
this is a positive fact. I also believe the continuation of the
Prague process is also very positive one. I hope the Prague process
will go on. Both countries, Armenian and Azerbaijan are involved in
this process. As I repeatedly noted, the Prague process implies a
step-by-step solution. However, solution to the problem has not been
found. What should Azerbaijan resort to in this case? Azerbaijan has
been pursuing its peacekeeping policy for years, but the problem is
not settled. That is why the question of reinforcing of our military
potential is quite natural. First Azerbaijan is a country in a state
of war. Our lands are under occupation. This is our #1 problem, and our
#1 task is to strengthen our country’s military potential. On the other
hand, our economic potential is strengthened due to successful economic
reforms being implemented in Azerbaijan. Our budget is rapidly growing
and expected to exceed $3 bln 500 mln next year. This entails increase
in military spending: $175 mln in 2004, $300 mln in 2005 and $600 mln
in 2006, and this is not the limit. As you know, I have set the task:
our military budget should reach the whole budget of Armenia, or even
exceed it. We will do achieve it. It concerns Armenia and several
international organizations. There are many things that troubling us
also, including Russia’s moving its bases from Georgia to Armenia, and
military exercises in Armenia. That is why we will take adequate steps.

I would like to touch on one more issue. The world Armenian lobby,
its patrons and politicians from several countries are acting to prove
that democratic development and protection of human rights allegedly
takes place in Nagorno-Karabakh, not in Azerbaijan.

Firstly, Azerbaijan is a country with intensively developing
democracy. Everybody recognizes that, secondly, the Nagorno-Karabakh
regime is an illegal structure. It is not recognized by anyone. The
hypocrite politicians ignore that it is the area of cultivation and
illegal trafficking of drugs, deployment of terrorist organizations
and violation of human rights. We cannot put up with this erroneous,
dangerous and unjust thesis.

Recently Armenian officials made statements against the realization of
a new project in the region, the construction of a railway to connect
Azerbaijan and Turkey through Georgia. They stated Azerbaijan did
not have a moral right to fund the Kars-Tbilisi0-Baku railway.

Very funny statement. Firstly, it is our own business, secondly,
it is a n international regional project now involving Georgia and
Turkey, and later the Central Asian countries. We will do that,
and no Armenian lobby will be able to prevent us from that.

We do have a moral right to liberate our lands from the occupation
forces, and we will do so. We are pursuing an independent policy. We
rest on the good will of the Azerbaijani people. We will do strengthen
our both economic and military potential, our army and patriotic
spirit within society, and we finally achieve our goal.