APA, Azerbaijan
Nov 21 2009

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev: `If Armenia lengthens time,
negotiations will be ended’

[ 21 Nov 2009 14:10 ]

* `If the next meeting with Armenian president does not give results,
our hopes for the negotiations will be ended not leaving other way for
us’

* `Decisions of international organizations and UN Charter allow us to
liberate our lands by military way’

Baku ` APA. `This injustice cannot be continued. How long will the
violation of international law continue? We show good will now. We
make concession participating in the negotiations’, said President
Ilham Aliyev in his speech during the opening of new settlement for
IDPs near Veyisli village of Gornaboy region, APA reports quoting
AzerTAC news agency. The president reminded that OSCE Minsk Group was
established in 1992 for liberation of Azerbaijani lands from the
occupation. `The Minsk Group was not established that to establish
second Armenian state in the historic land of Azerbaijan ` Nagorno
Karabakh. UN Security Council passed four resolutions. There is no
other organization in the world above the UN Security Council. If its
resolutions are not fulfilled, it means that the Security Council has
low influence or the norms of international law don’t work. If it is
so let everybody to know its work. If the international law doesn’t
work let us to know our work. We don’t violate any law. We are trying
to do everything within the law, within the norms of international
law. Following that OSCE summits passed decisions, which were not
fulfilled. What are we to do? Do we expect? How long? Why Azerbaijani
citizens cannot return to their homelands? Why population of Kelbajar
cannot return to Kelbajar? It is because Armenians don’t want that.
Why? What right they have to do that? These issues had to be solved
long ago. We want to solve it via negotiations, peacefully. On the
other hand, it is not correct to reconcile with this situation. How
long can we reconcile?’

President Ilham Aliyev said he would meet with Armenian president in
the next few days. `Sometimes these meetings are successful. But
Armenian side tries to lengthen the time sometimes. The last meetings
didn’t give any result because Armenian side demonstrated
non-constructive position. What reason of that? May be they were
encouraged by the process of normalization of the Turkish-Armenian
relations. It created wrong thoughts for them that the
Turkish-Armenian borders will be opened and Karabakh issue will be put
aside. But the processes show that it will not take place. Strong
position of Azerbaijan and Turkish community, statements and promises
by the Turkish leadership show that Turkish-Armenian relations cannot
be normalized without solution of Nagorno Karabakh problem. Armenian
side should understand it’.

The head of state said there was and intensive economic development in
Azerbaijan. `But Armenian economy was almost paralyzed. Our economic,
political and diplomatic successes and strengthening of defense
potential are enhancing our position. But we need in the result. We
need that they peacefully leave our lands. Then it will bring a peace.
Then nobody will say that why Azerbaijan is strengthening its defense
potential? Sometimes we hear from the international forces that why
Azerbaijan is armed. It does not concern anyone? We are not armed at
the expense of theirs. We are armed at own expense, at the expense of
our opportunities. What must we do? What must we do to solve this
issue comprehensively and for ever?’

President Ilham Aliyev informed about the essence of negotiation
process. `I can say now that first alteration Armenian side agreed is
that they will withdraw forces from only four regions, which are
located throughout railway along Araz River. Other regions will remain
under their control until uncertain time. The negotiation process
considers withdrawal from five regions at first and then from Kelbajar
and Lachin. But it is not full solution of the problem. We want
Azerbaijani citizens to return to Nagorno Karabakh, to Shusha `
historic city of Azerbaijan. If it doesn’t take place, the problem
will not be solved for ever. We must do so that the agreements will
not create background for further undesirable developments. If the
agreement doesn’t satisfy us, the problem can be raised and create
threat again. I am always telling the Armenian side that you must do
so that we can satisfy with the agreement, because if don’t satisfy,
the problem will be raised again tomorrow or 10 years later’.

The head of state said new settlements for the internally displaced
persons would be constructed in the next years too. `But it is not a
solution of the problem. The solution is in the liberation of
Azerbaijani lands from the invaders. We do everything necessary to
achieve our goals. The work done in the negotiations process, our
economic opportunities and army-building make Azerbaijan strong. If we
are not strong we cannot solve the Nagorno Karabakh problem, because
international interferences don’t give a result. Indeed these
interferences have political character. Sometime the international
forces calmed down the occupant countries immediately. We saw these
events in the history. But the international community didn’t show
strong position when the Azerbaijani lands were occupied. Therefore we
have to rely on our force and we have to be strong to solve the
problem fairly, within the national interests of Azerbaijan and on the
basis of international law. I don’t doubt that we will achieve it’.

Azerbaijani leader said he would go to the meeting with Armenian
president in Munich with his program. `This meeting should play
decisive role in the negotiation process. There were several meetings
without results. If the next meeting doesn’t give results, our hopes
for the negotiations will be ended not leaving other way for us. We
must be ready for that. Recent army-building development has is goal.
We spend billions of resources to strengthen our army and we purchase
new arms, techniques and we enhance our position on the line of
contact. We do that because we never rule out this alteration. We have
full right to liberate our lands from the occupation and the
international law recognizes our right. We want to solve the problem
peacefully to prevent the war. But Armenia is wrong if it thinks that
we will always participate at the negotiations. The negotiations will
last until the end of our hopes. But if Armenian side tries to
lengthen the time and to hold endless negotiations, the talks will be
ended. There are 30-40-year negotiations in some places. But that
situation will not be repeated here’.

President Ilham Aliyev said international, political and diplomatic
factors supported Azerbaijan’s position. Decisions of international
organizations and UN Charter allow us to liberate our lands from the
invaders by military way. We don’t want to interfere in the territory
of other country. Everybody knows that present Armenia was formed in
the historic lands of Azerbaijan. Khanate of Iravan, province of
Zangazur ` all these are the lands of Azerbaijan. Iravan was presented
to Armenia in 1918. Later they raised territorial claims against
Azerbaijan again. They created one Armenian state in the Azerbaijani
lands and now they intended to create second one. It is not logical.
Azerbaijani people, Azerbaijani state will never allow it. Nagorno
Karabakh will never be independent. We don’t allow it. Therefore
Armenia must take serious steps in the negotiations. They must take
the steps, but not us. What we can make concession? What we occupied
that make it concession? We will not make concession. Our concession
is peaceful solution of the problem’.
From: Baghdasarian