The settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the main direction of Azerbaijan’s foreign policy, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Friday.
He made the remarks while addressing an official reception held on the occasion of the national holiday of Azerbaijan, Republic Day, APA reported.
Azerbaijan’s stance on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains unchanged, noted President Aliyev.
The president stressed the need to resolve the conflict on the basis of the norms and principles of international law and in accordance with the Helsinki Final Act.
He said that Azerbaijan will never allow the creation of a second Armenian state on its territory. “The existing Armenian state was established on our territory. We know perfectly well that in 1918 Yerevan was presented to Armenia. Therefore, it’s impossible to create a second Armenian state on our lands,” the Azerbaijani president added.
President Aliyev called for the fulfillment of the UN Security Council resolutions which demand the unconditional withdrawal of the occupying forces from Azerbaijani territories.
“We are satisfied with the decisions and resolutions of international organizations. This is a legal base for resolving the conflict. At the same time, the statements made recently and the steps taken should also be highly appreciated,” said the president. “The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries, the EU and other international institutions unequivocally reiterate the inadmissibility of the status quo. However, no steps are taken following these statements. We are waiting for this step to be taken and a pressure to be exerted on the occupier. It’s necessary to impose sanctions against them. If no sanctions are taken against Armenia for its aggressive policy, this will be another manifestation of double standards. Despite this, I believe that such statements are positive steps.”
The Azerbaijani president pointed out that neighboring countries, the Minsk Group, the EU and other countries harshly reacted to the so-called “referendum” recently held in Nagorno-Karabakh.
“No one recognized this so-called “referendum”, on the contrary condemned it. Thus, they proved once again that Nagorno-Karabakh is an inseparable and integral part of Azerbaijan,” he added.
The head of state vowed that Azerbaijan will continue its policy.
“Azerbaijan’s principled stance in negotiations is fully justified and it will never step back a millimeter from this policy,” said President Aliyev concluding his speech.