Berlin, Germany June 7
By Sevil Mikayilova - Trend:
Armenia, by force, occupied the territories of Azerbaijan, said Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev answering a question at the joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, Trend's correspondent reported from the event.
"It's enough to look at the map of the region to see who is the aggressor and who is the victim of the aggression," said President Aliyev, adding that Nagorno Karabakh is a historic part of Azerbaijan.
He went on to add that Armenia committed a war crime, genocide in Khodjaly, which is today recognized as genocide by ten countries.
The president reminded that during the Khodjaly genocide 613 people were killed, including 106 women and 63 children, and it all happened in front of international community.
Ilham Aliyev added that Armenia occupied not only Nagorno Karabakh but also seven other districts of Azerbaijan, destroyed Azerbaijan's historical monuments, mosques. The president said that the occupants ignore the calls of international mediators to resolve the conflict peacefully.
In order to prolong the endless negotiations, the Armenian side sometimes organizes provocations like the one in the beginning of April, in order to disrupt the negotiating process, said President Aliyev.
Only this time, according to the president, the Armenian side miscalculated the consequences, and as a result of Azerbaijani army's counter-attack, the country managed to restore parts of its occupied territories.
President Ilham Aliyev said that the Armenian government needs to comply with international law, illegal occupation of other countries is absolutely unacceptable.
"They should start the de-occupation. As as soon as it starts, we will open all the communications, we will restore transportation infrastructure, and eliminate every single possibility of a military scenario," he said.
He went on to repeat that Azerbaijan is committed to peaceful settlement of the conflict.
"We stopped the clashes because we do not want war, we need peace. We need our territories back," he said.