Details added (first version posted on 16:59)
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 3
Trend:
Turkish-Azerbaijani relations are developing on a high level, said Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the joint press conference with Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim in Baku on June 3.
Recalling that he visited Turkey three times this year and that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Azerbaijan as well, Ilham Aliyev noted that the Turkish-Azerbaijani relations are developing, and are currently on the high level.
The president said that in 2016, five high-level meetings betwen Azerbaijan and Turkey were held.
Ilham Aliyev further said that it is impossible to find another two countries in the world that would've been so close to one another as Turkey and Azerbaijan.
The cooperation and partnership continues in all spheres, we are always near each other, always support each other, together engage in activity in international organizations, Ilham Aliyev said.
The president of Azerbaijan said that a very important decision has been recently made on the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the framework of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit in Turkey, a contact group has been established.
"Turkey has played a very important role in adoption of these decisions," said President Ilham Aliyev. "Turkey is always with Azerbaijan in the issue of settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and we are grateful for this support."
The Azerbaijani president went on to add that the country's territory recognized by international community has been under occupation for many years, and more than one million of Azerbaijanis became refugees and IDPs.
"The policy of ethnic cleansing was carried out against us," President Aliyev said. "As much as 20 percent of our lands have remained under occupation for over 20 years. Despite the fact that international organizations, primarily the UN, adopted the relevant decisions and resolutions, the issue hasn't been solved yet."
"The UN adopted four resolutions and these resolutions state that the Armenian armed forces must be immediately and unconditionally withdrawn from the occupied territories," the Azerbaijani president noted. "More than 20 years have passed since these resolutions were adopted, but they remain on paper. Why? That's because of double standards and discrimination."
"In some cases, UN resolutions are implemented in a single day," President Aliyev said. "As long as we're concerned, these resolutions haven't been carried out for more than 20 years. No sanctions are applied to the aggressor country. That's injustice."
President Aliyev noted that Azerbaijan strengthens its principled position and has gained political, economic and military advantage.
"The April fighting has once again demonstrated this," he said. "Armenia's military provocation didn't remain unanswered, Azerbaijani army launched a counter-offensive and more than 20 square kilometers of land was cleared of invaders," Ilham Aliyev added.
As a result of this counter-offensive, even a greater territory than mentioned, went under control of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, the Azerbaijani president said.
"We will put up efforts so that this issue is settled peacefully, through negotiations," President Aliyev noted. "The status quo is unacceptable and must be changed. Changing the status quo means withdrawal of the Armenian armed units from our occupied territories."
He noted that Azerbaijan supports Turkey in all issues, just as Turkey regrets about the injustice in some cases shown against that country. Ilham Aliyev said that at the same time, Azerbaijan has its say.