Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan President, started his visit to France. He said during his interview with the French Newspaper Figaro that Azerbaijan will never agree with the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh.
France is taking part as a mediator in the resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict together with Russia and France.
The Azerbaijan leader made Armenia responsible for the lack of progress in the peaceful negations on the issue. According to him, the so-called referendum on the constitution of the self-proclaimed republic organized in Nagorno-Karabakh in December, 2006 was totally illegal. Armenia should realize that we shall never agree with the independence of this territory, вЂ" said the Azerbaijan President. President Aliyev assured that official Baku offered the maximal broad autonomy to the region but as a part of Azerbaijan to Nagorno-Karabakh.
Answering the question concerning the liability of the resolution of the conflict by military force, Mr. Aliyev said that economic capacity and political weight of the country would eventually give Azerbaijan means and instruments to liberate the occupied territories. However we still prefer to achieve our ends peacefully, not by military force, said Azerbaijan President, Trend reports referring to ITAR-TASS.