Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 17 / Trend /
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the biggest threat to the region, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in an interview with Al-Jazeera.
He said despite the achievement of the ceasefire agreement in 1994, no peace has been achieved yet, there is no peace.
"That is the most dangerous conflict from point of view of predictability. You cannot predict what will happen," Aliyev said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
"Nagorno-Karabakh is a historic part of Azerbaijan. From legal point of view all the international community considers Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan." Aliyev said. "The UN Security Council adopted four resolutions demanding withdrawal of Armenian troops from Nagorno-Karabakh - Security Council is the top organization of the world - and other international organizations also."
President Aliyev highlighted Azerbaijan is still hopeful that peaceful solution can be found.
"But this solution must be based on international law. Territorial integrity of Azerbaijan must be restored, Armenians should leave all the occupied territories, Azerbaijanis should have a right to return to all the territories of their original settlement, including Nagorno-Karabakh," he stated.
Aliyev said the Nagorno-Karabakh can be granted the status of autonomy. "There are good examples of autonomies in the world and in Europe," Aliyev said.
Aliyev said as far as the situation on the line of contact is concerned, it is very fragile, peace is very fragile.
"Actually, we do not have peace," he noted.