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Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.7
Trend:
Iran has always greatly respected Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and it supports Azerbaijan’s fair position in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev.
President Aliyev made the remarks during the joint statements for the press with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani after the ceremony of signing documents in Baku Aug.7.
This support by Iran is seen both within the UN and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Ilham Aliyev said.
He said that the declaration adopted during the OIC summit in 2016 once again demands the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.
“We praise Iran’s activities in this sphere,” he added.
“Today, I briefed President Rouhani about the current status of the conflict’s settlement process,” said President Aliyev.
“As we know, Azerbaijani territories have been under occupation for many years,” said the president. “Nagorno-Karabakh is a historical Azerbaijani land and today, not only Nagorno-Karabakh, but also seven surrounding districts are under occupation. Azerbaijani people were forcibly expelled from those lands. Our historical monuments, as well as mosques were destroyed by Armenians.”
President Aliyev pointed out that 20 percent of Azerbaijani lands are under occupation and this occupation continues.
The ways of settlement of the conflict are clear as well, he added.
“Armenian armed forces violating Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity should be withdrawn from the occupied lands as demanded by four resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council,” said President Aliyev.
Further, the president said that Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan in April was condemned during the OIC summit in 2016 and a contact group was created for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
President Aliyev recalled that Armenian armed forces staged another armed provocation against Azerbaijan in April 2016.
“Our servicemen were killed as a result of this provocation,” he said.
Six civilians were killed, over 20 were injured, more than 600 houses were damaged and over 100 houses were completely destroyed as a result of Armenian provocation, added the president.
Azerbaijan had to take relevant steps in order to protect its citizens and lands and those steps were very effective, according to President Aliyev.
He pointed out that the decisions and resolutions adopted by international organizations on the conflict’s settlement should be fulfilled and Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity should be restored.