Azerbaijan , Baku, July 28 / Trend /
"I have reiterated Azerbaijan's position related to the ways of settling the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and informed about the current state of negotiations," Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said at a news conference during Erdogan's official visit to Azerbaijan. "I would like to reiterate that the Azerbaijani people and the Azerbaijani government are very grateful for Turkey's position over this issue. It is really friendly and brotherly attitude. We very much appreciate it."
President Aliyev said the Azerbaijani lands are under occupation for many years. More than 1 million Azerbaijanis were driven from their native land and became refugees and IDPs as a result of this occupation.
"An ethnic cleansing policy was pursued against us. Armenians committed genocide against the Azerbaijanis. They committed the Khojaly genocide. Azerbaijan's territorial integrity is recognized by the international community, Nagorno-Karabakh is a primordial and historical Azerbaijani lands. Azerbaijan's territorial integrity must be restored. Major international organizations have expressed their position on the conflict resolution. The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on this issue. The OSCE, European Parliament, the Council of Europe and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation have adopted fair decisions and these resolutions are the basis for addressing this issue," Aliyev said.
President Aliyev once again congratulated Recep Tayyip Erdogan with a convincing victory of his party in the parliamentary elections. Aliyev expressed gladness with Erdogan's visit to Azerbaijan - his homeland after a month after the election .
"The Turkish-Azerbaijani relations are at the highest level. These relations are of strategic nature and based on the principles of friendship and brotherhood. We are linked with the historical roots and cultural ties, our past and current political interests. We are very pleased that the Turkish- Azerbaijan relations are developing rapidly, and talks and discussions that we had during the prime minister's visit once again demonstrate how close we are to each other," Ilham Aliyev said.
All the issues on the agenda have been discussed today and extensive exchange of views has been held, President Aliyev underscored. "We reiterate that political relations are at the highest level. I can say that the relations are at the top. There are excellent prospects in the economic sphere. I am very pleased that the trade turnover between our countries has increased in 2011. There are new plans and proposals. We are considering investment proposals. Turkish companies invest in Azerbaijan and Azerbaijani companies invest in Turkey. To date, the Azerbaijani companies have invested more than $ 4 billion in the Turkish economy. Additional investments worth $ 6 billion are supposed to be invested only in the petrochemical industry in the coming years. The Turkish companies actively participate in infrastructure projects of strategic importance implemented in Azerbaijan and we are very pleased with their work," he said.
"Moreover, we have today held an exchange of views on strengthening security in the region. We talked about the prospects of the Turkish-Azerbaijani cooperation in this field. Taking the advantage, I would like to express my condolences to all the Turkish people in connection with the deaths of our brothers in the recent bloody terrorist attacks. We strongly condemn the acts of the terrorist organization PKK. We have repeatedly stated our position on this issue. Once again I want to say that Azerbaijan has officially recognized the PKK as the terrorist organization and as always, is close to the Turkish state and nation in the fight against it. We strongly condemn all forms of terrorism and are absolutely convinced that the fight against terrorism can only be effective if all states work together. Our cooperation with Turkey in combating terrorism, as well as in all areas, is at a very high level," he said.
President Aliyev said they also spoke about energy issues.
"As you know, these relations have a long history. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline are functioning successfully. We exchanged views on prospects for the future. These are important issues for Turkey, and Azerbaijan. They closely unite our countries. I believe the further cooperation will also be successful.
The transport issues also occupy an important place in the Turkey-Azerbaijan relations. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway construction successfully runs. I would like to say that Azerbaijan has allocated a loan worth nearly $800 million for the construction of the Georgian railway, so that the issue was soon resolved and the railroad was put into operation by late 2012.
Once again I want to say that our cooperation is high in all areas. We hope that the rate will be maintained in the future and the Turkish-Azerbaijani friendship and brotherhood relations will develop," Aliyev said.
President Aliyev also commented on President Serzh Sargsyan's statement, who said "We won the Nagorno-Karabakh, let the new generation to even win Agri-Dagh".
"Actually, I did not expect anything else from Sargsyan, since I have met with him several times. I am well aware of his thinking. In essence, it demonstrates Armenia's aggressive nature. This country is in the grip of problems. The number of those departing this country hits tens of thousands of people. The economy is in full crisis - poverty, destitution and hopelessness. No normal company operates in the country. This country will die if it does not receive foreign donations and foreign backers. Although the real population is 1.8 million, these people claim for ancestral, historical lands of Turkey. "
"They think that they have solved the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. They are wrong. Nagorno-Karabakh is and will remain as the Azerbaijani land. The time will come, when Azerbaijan will restore its sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh either by peaceful or military means.
But to voice territorial claims to such a great country as Turkey?! It simply indicates that these people' minds are missing something. They do not live in the real world, but in a dream world. They need to wake up from sleep, return to the real world and even to compare themselves with Turkey. You cannot compare an elephant and an ant, "Aliyev said.