Karabakh Will Never’Gain Independence, Says Aliyev
Published: Friday March 20, 2009
3/20/2009_1
Source: Asbarez.com

Karabakh Will Never’Gain Independence, Says Aliyev

BAKU–Azerbaijan is taking political and economic steps to sabotage
the independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Azeri President
Ilham Aliyev said Friday in a national address to commemorate the
passing of a referendum lifting term limits on his presidency.

`Nagorno-Karabakh will never gain independence,’ Aliyev
said. `Azerbaijan takes not only political, but also economic steps to
resolve this question."

He said his government is trying to `solve the problem in a peaceful
way within the framework of justice and international law.’

Aliyev hailed the constitutional referendum held on Wednesday, saying
that the amendment to the constitution to allow him to serve more than
two terms would help promote democratic reforms in the oil-rich former
Soviet republic.

Aliyev, 47, won a second five-year term by a landslide last October,
having taken over from his father Heydar, a former top-ranking Soviet
official and KGB officer, in 2003.

Late last week, Azerbaijan’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Araz Azimov,
said his government believed that the worsening global economic crisis
would force Armenia to drop its support for Nagorno-Karabakh’s
independence.

Azerbaijan has been funneling its soaring oil revenues into its
military budget. Azeri leaders almost daily threaten to launch a new
war against Karabakh and Armenia. The intensity and occurrence of
ceasefire violations have increased in recent months, leading many
analysts to believe that Azerbaijan is testing Armenia’s defensive
capabilities.