BAKU WILL NOT WAIT ETERNALLY FOR LIBERATION OF OCCUPIED …
Interfax News Agency, Russia
April 18 2008
Proposals of mediators in the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement provide
for liberating the occupied Azeri territories, Azeri President Ilkham
Aliyev said on Friday.
"The current proposals by mediators in the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement
provide for the liberation of all occupied Azeri territories;
however, we are not going to wait eternally until the proposals are
fulfilled," Aliyev said visiting five new camps for displaced people
in Azerbaijan’s Fizuli district.
"The talks have been underway for 14 years. But for how long will we
participate in them and put up with the injustice?!" Aliyev said.
The proposals on the negotiating table provide for the unconditional
liberation of five out of seven Nagorno-Karabakh districts, while
the Lachin and Kalbajar must be returned to Azerbaijan shortly after,
the president said.
The international community backs Azerbaijan, and a recent UN General
Assembly’s resolution is proof of this, he said. But Armenia does
not attach importance to this, Aliyev said.
They seem to agree with co-chairmen’s proposals, but in fact they
continue to illegally populate the Lachin district, the president said.
Aliyev also said that he visited the contact line before making the
speech. There, I was convinced once again that our army is capable of
solving any task, and the increase in military expenditures moves us
closer to this goal. The Azeri army is today the strongest one in the
region: both from the viewpoint of professional training and material
and technical provision, Aliyev said.
Defense expenditures are the most important item of the state budget,
which is natural for a country in war, the president said. There
will be another increase in military expenditures soon. I think that
military expenditure should be about $2 billion, Aliyev said.
As yet Azerbaijan continues the talks, but they have been futile over
the past 14 years, he said.
We are taking part in the talks, because we hope to restore the
country’s territorial integrity by peaceful means. At the same time
we all must know that the talks cannot be eternal, the president said.
This issue should be clarified in the next several months, Aliyev
said, adding that everything will depend on whether the Armenian
position changes.
I would like to hope that international mediators and the Armenian
side will understand that the policy of occupation has no future,
Aliyev said.