Azerbaijani president: Armenia's claims on blockade of Lachin road completely groundless

CHRONICLE  14 March 2023 - 19:07

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has said that Armenia's claims about the blockade of the Lachin road were completely groundless.

Aliyev made the remarks during the expanded meeting with President of the Federal Republic of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin, following the one-on-one meeting, Azertag reports.

Addressing the meeting, President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier said:

- Dear colleague, Mr. President.

I remember our meetings in Baku. I was in a different position when I was visiting Azerbaijan. Now the time is different. There are difficulties around us. We analyzed the situation. It has been a year since Russia invaded Ukraine. What effect does this have on the political environment and the economic situation? We have had a chance to talk about the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. We both really hope it will end well. This is a complex conflict. Several steps forward have been taken during the past period. A process of negotiations was conducted with Charles Michel.

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President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said:

- Thank you, Mr. President. I am very happy to be visiting Germany again. As we discussed in our one-on-one meeting, we will do our best to contribute to the peaceful settlement of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. I believe that there is a good chance to reach an agreement, especially at a time when Armenia and Azerbaijan recognized each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty after the meetings in Sochi last October. It is a good idea to sign this agreement sooner rather than later. We have developed five principles based on international law which, in our view, should form the basis of the peace agreement.

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The President of Germany noted that in the meeting with President Ilham Aliyev, discussions were held regarding the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the signing of a peace treaty, noting that he was hopeful that the peace treaty would be signed.

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier noted that Germany supported the mission led by President of the European Council Charles Michel, adding that he was hoping that a meeting would be held in Brussels soon. The German President said that Charles Michel’s mission was enjoying the trust of both sides. He also stated that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had seriously supported and contributed to the process of normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier emphasized that Germany supported the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan.

President Ilham Aliyev stated that Azerbaijan supported the process of signing a peace treaty with Armenia, the mission of President of the European Council Charles Michel, and the Brussels peace agenda. He drew attention to the fact that the peace agreement and the peace agenda were defined in the meetings held during this period and in the statements made.

The President of Azerbaijan noted that the initiative to sign the peace agreement, which includes five principles, was put forward by Azerbaijan, and the peace agreement between the two countries could be signed based on these principles. President Ilham Aliyev stated that Azerbaijan's position consisted of two approaches. The first approach is the signing of a peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and the second approach is the implementation of dialogue with the Armenian residents of Azerbaijan's Karabakh region.

President Ilham Aliyev stated that the representative appointed by Azerbaijan had met with the residents of the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan on March 5, and representatives of the Armenian community of Karabakh were invited to the Administration of the President of Azerbaijan in Baku to continue contacts on their reintegration and the implementation of a number of infrastructure projects.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev noted that all forms and manifestations of separatism were unacceptable and emphasized the importance of demonstrating a unified position in relation to separatist trends.

Touching upon the issue of the Lachin road in Azerbaijan, the head of state said that Armenia's claims about the blockade of this road were completely groundless, that there was traffic along the road, that more than 4,000 vehicles and over 150 people in need of medical assistance had passed along the road since December 12.

President Ilham Aliyev stated that the Azerbaijani side was concerned about the presence of Armenian armed forces in the Azerbaijani territories where Russian peacekeepers are temporarily stationed and the use of the Lachin road for military purposes and military transport.

The head of state added that Armenia had not fulfilled its obligations regarding the opening of the Zangezur corridor according to the trilateral Statement and provided information about Azerbaijan's proposal to establish a border checkpoint at the end of the Lachin road, on the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Emphasizing that the launch of the Zangezur corridor would create opportunities for the emergence of a new transport route, President Ilham Aliyev said that Azerbaijan was rapidly continuing the construction of railways and highways in its territory.

The sides also exchanged views on issues on the regional and global agenda.

Caliber.Az