BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 28
Trend:
Armenia must fully implement the statement of 10 November, and peace will come to the region gradually, in a step-by-step manner, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said giving a press conference for local and foreign media representatives, Trend reports.
“We have been waiting for the end of the conflict for 30 years. Our intention has always been clear and sincere. As long as Armenia showed at least some signs that the conflict could be resolved peacefully, we were involved in these negotiations. But when we realized that the Armenian government did not intend to return a single inch of land to us and committed a number of military provocations against us in July and August which were followed by another provocation in September, of course, we had to give an adequate response. Therefore, when the question is asked what a sustainable peace can be like, it can only be when there is a demonstration of commitment to the 10 November statement. This document was signed by the prime minister of Armenia: a part of Aghdam, Kalbajar and Lachin will be liberated. We stopped the war immediately. I have kept my word. However, everyone understands perfectly well that if we continued the war, it would lead to more serious and dire consequences for Armenia. We didn’t want more losses and sacrifices, and we demonstrated this. Today we are discussing the issue of permanent, sustainable peace and security in the region. The only way to do this is through collaboration. Our goal is to restore communications already in a trilateral manner – together with Armenia and Russia, create the Zangazur corridor and remove all transport obstacles. If this happens, then Armenia will also benefit. They will also see the benefits of peace. Another condition for us, a condition for peace is that political circles of Armenia should understand: any attempts at revenge will be severely punished by Azerbaijan. If we see any threat, if we consider it a serious threat to ourselves, then an immediate response will follow. Therefore, I warn that there should not be any attempts at exacting revenge. Armenia must fully implement the statement of 10 November, and peace will come to the region gradually, in a step-by-step manner,” the head of state said.