BAKU, Azerbaijan, February 1. There is already de facto peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said, as he received Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Martin Chungong, Trend reports.
The head of state underlined that there is already de facto peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and a state of peace has prevailed along the border of the two countries for several months. “However, in order to bring logical conclusion to this process, a peace treaty must be signed, and Armenia's territorial claims against Azerbaijan must be brought to an end.”
In this regard, President Ilham Aliyev noted that in Armenia's Declaration of Independence, there are direct calls for the annexation of Azerbaijan's Karabakh region to Armenia and the violation of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, and this document is also referred to in the Constitution of Armenia. “Furthermore, in Armenia`s other regulatory and legal documents, there are numerous provisions that assert territorial claims against Azerbaijan, and in many conventions and other documents to which Armenia is a party, there are numerous clauses that do not recognize Azerbaijan's sovereignty over Karabakh.” In addition, the head of state emphasized that the basis of Armenia's claims against Azerbaijan in international courts consists of issues such as the non-recognition of Azerbaijan's sovereignty and territorial integrity by Armenia, as well as the separation of Karabakh from Azerbaijan. The President of Azerbaijan noted that peace can be achieved when these claims are brought to an end, and when amendments are made in the Constitution of Armenia and other regulatory and legal documents. Stressing the importance of expeditiously implementing this in Armenia, the head of state emphasized that initiating internal discussions on this issue in Armenia is considered a positive step, adding that this could create good opportunities for expediting the conclusion of the peace process.