BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 30
Trend:
The process of negotiations lasted for about 30 years, but to no avail, the progress of events, the second Karabakh war and the actions of international forces show that this issue could never be resolved through negotiations, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said addressing the official opening ceremony of the Vagif Poetry Days in Shusha, Trend reports.
“Because they wanted us, the Azerbaijanis, to come to terms with this situation," he added.
"They tried to portray this situation, i.e. the frozen conflict, as a no-alternative option," President Aliyev said. "We had a completely different opinion, and I never hid that. I said that if the issue was not resolved peacefully, we would restore our territorial integrity through war. All norms and principles of international law recognize this right. The UN Charter, UN Security Council resolutions and historical justice gave us this right. And we achieved this."
"Shusha is an Azerbaijani city," the president said. "The foundation of Shusha, as we all know, was laid by Panahali khan in 1752, and next year we will celebrate the 270th anniversary of Shusha. Despite the occupation, Shusha managed to preserve the Azerbaijani spirit. Everyone who comes to Shusha can see this. Even in a ruined state, even during the occupation when it was vandalized, Shusha was able to preserve its spirit, its stature."
"It did not bend, did not break, it waited for us," President Aliyev said. "We had to come, and we did. We have come here as a victorious people. We did not come through negotiations, not as a result of any concessions made by Armenia, but by shedding blood, by giving martyrs, by showing self-sacrifice on the battlefield, by restoring our territorial integrity and by restoring our national dignity."