NO ONE WANTS WAR – AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT

news.az
March 1 2010
Azerbaijan

Ilham Aliyev Ilham Aliyev has said that Azerbaijan does not want war,
but cannot tolerate the occupationof its land by Armenia.

Addressing selected representatives of the public during a visit
to Gabala District on Saturday, Aliyev said that the Azerbaijani
government lent great importance to improving the housing and job
prospects of IDPs. "The State Program to Development the Regions is
under way and in the first phase all the problems of those citizens
living in difficult conditions have been tackled. Today there are no
IDPs and refugees living in tents in Azerbaijan. Now, the problems of
other refugees living in buildings unfit for habitation will be our
focus. This process is happening in Gabala. We are carrying out these
improvements in various parts of our country. Multi-storey buildings
for IDPs and refugees are being constructed in Baku and other regional
centres. Living conditions in these houses are very comfortable and
I believe you’ll have better lives. But the main point today is that
you should be able to return to your homes. This is our key concern."

The president said that the Khojaly massacre would never fade from
memory. "All the world community has recognized this as a grave crime
against humanity. Our efforts, with the support of the Azerbaijani
government, public and diaspora organizations, young people, students
studying abroad, have brought this crime to the attention of the
world community. Though Armenians strived to hide the realities of
this grave crime through their strong diaspora, they failed.

Misrepresenting the facts of the Khojaly Genocide they tried to veil
their brutality against the Azerbaijani people. But today, all the
world community is aware of the realities of this crime."

Ilham Aliyev said that those responsible for the crime would be
prosecuted. "I firmly believe that all the criminals, their supporters
whose hands are stained with the blood of the Azerbaijani people will
be punished."

Touching on the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, the
president said that Azerbaijan would continue its efforts. "We are
striving and have to strive to achieve the comprehensive development of
our country and strengthen our position in the talks and the conflict
with Armenia. International law supports our position.

International organizations back a resolution on the basis of
territorial integrity and the norms of international law. There are
numerous international documents that confirm this. Despite this,
the issue has not been resolved. Because the opposing side, Armenia,
wants to drag out the resolution. It wants to maintain the status
quo and wants to legalize the situation as it is now. We will never
allow this. We will continue our policy and diplomatic efforts in
the desired fashion. The issue is on the agenda of international
organizations and in bilateral relations."

Aliyev said that the Armenian lobby had fallen into the hands of conmen
and corrupt politicians. "Paying money and delivering them benefits,
the Armenian lobby is trying to strengthen its position. We are for a
fair solution of the problem, according to international law. We have
no territorial claims on any state. Though today’s Armenia was built on
Azerbaijani territory. Despite this fact, we have no such territorial
claims. We want our historically and internationally recognized
lands to be freed and our citizens returned to their homes. We are
being told that the problem must be solved peacefully. This is what
we also support. But no one must forget that the Armenians occupied
these lands in military ways, not peacefully.

Though 20 years have passed, everyone must remember this bloody night.

All the citizens of Azerbaijan, especially the younger generation
must always remember this crime against our people. If Armenia acted
in a violent way against us, then why does everybody recommend that
we solve this problem peacefully? I’d like to reiterate that no one
wants war. Who wants war? How much longer should we wait for the world
community and the sides involved in this issue to solve this problem?

We must not submit to this situation. The status quo doesn’t suit us.

The status quo must be changed in a fair way. Armenians must
unconditionally withdraw from our lands. And only after that should
cooperation and peace be established. This is our key position. This
issue must find its solution within the territorial integrity of the
Azerbaijan Republic. The latest processes show that those who are
strong are always right. Unfortunately this is the reality today.

That’s why we need to be much stronger. We see that this injustice
has been continuing for nearly 20 years. We need to mobilize our
efforts and to strengthen our position. We must develop our economic
potential. According to the latest reports, Azerbaijan leads the
countries with rapidly growing economies. We must increase our economic
resources. All the work done pursues this goal."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress