Azeri leader vows to liberate Armenian-occupied territories

Trend news agency
26 May 06

Baku, 26 May, Trend correspondent R. Abdullayev: Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev made a speech on 26 May in Baku at an official ceremony
to mark Azerbaijan’s national holiday – the Day of the Republic, Trend
reports.

The head of state highly rated the establishment of the Democratic
Republic of Azerbaijan in 1918 and stressed the historical role of the
founders of Azerbaijan’s statehood.

Touching on developments that unfolded in Azerbaijan during the
collapse of the Soviet Union and on the threat of the repeat collapse
of national statehood, Ilham Aliyev pointed out that statehood was
preserved owing to the efforts of ex-President Heydar Aliyev.

The president pointed out that in the following period, Azerbaijan
became the most dynamically developing country, which was a direct
result of the successful policy of political-economic reforms carried
out by the republic’s leadership.

He said that Azerbaijan is strengthening its positions not only on the
regional, but also on the world scale. “Azerbaijan is implementing an
economic concept that aims to increase the welfare of the country’s
population,” Ilham Aliyev said.

The head of state also touched on the settlement of the
Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagornyy Karabakh conflict and stressed that
Azerbaijan is in favour of a peaceful solution to the problem. He said
that if Armenia’s nonconstructive position leads to a deadlock in the
negotiating process, “Azerbaijan should resolve the problem with its
own forces”.

President Aliyev clearly said that “Azerbaijan will not allow a second
Armenian state to be created on its territory” and added that “all the
occupied territories of Azerbaijan should be liberated without any
conditions”.