President outlines Azerbaijani efforts to peacefully settle conflict with Armenia

President Ilham Aliyev has said that Azerbaijan was trying hard to resolve the conflict with Armenia by Azerbaijan.

He made the remarks during his address to the opening ceremony of the 10th Global Baku Forum themed “The World of Today: Challenges and Hopes”, Caliber.Az reports.

“We were trying hard to resolve the conflict with Armenia by peaceful means despite the fact that Armenian occupation created a humanitarian crisis in Azerbaijan... Armenia conducted the policy of ethnic cleansing against Azerbaijanis and expelled them from Karabakh and created sufferings for a million Azerbaijan,” the head of the state noted.

The president stressed Azerbaijan's efforts to resolve it peacefully and persuade Armenia to comply with UN Security Council resolutions which demanded the immediate, complete, unconditional withdrawal of Armenian troops from Azerbaijani territories.

"Armenia just ignored UN Security Council resolutions and demonstrated disrespect to international law and the international community," he said.

Aliyev added that Azerbaijan committed no war crimes, unlike Armenia.

"We did not commit any war crimes, unlike Armenians. We did not commit genocide, unlike the Armenians did to us. And we took revenge on the battlefield. So, now it's time for peace,” the head of state underlined."

Aiyev added that "the representatives of Nizami Ganjavi International Centre (NGIC) have seen the destruction in Fuzuli, in Shusha and it's really the sign of barbarism, it is urbicide, culturocide, ecocide. And that was done by our neighbours. People of Azerbaijan have a moral right to demand revenge," he noted.

The head of state noted that Armenia lost the chance to become an independent country

“Now it's time for peace. Therefore, right after the war ended in November 2020, we launched an initiative to start peaceful negotiations and presented the famous five principles, which could be a basis for a peace agreement with Armenia”.

“We hope that international actors, which try to facilitate will persuade Armenia not to lose this chance. They lost the chance to become an independent country. They become totally dependent, kind of a colony of another country, and now maybe other countries. So, they lost their chance to become really independent and to build their future, because of aggression against us,” the head of state emphasized.

The Azerbaijani leader added that the life of Armenians who live in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan will be much better.

“Azerbaijan is a multiconfessional, multi-ethnic country. The rights of minorities in Azerbaijan are protected by our Constitution,” he said.

“Azerbaijan is a country with a high level of religious and ethnic tolerance, where representatives of different ethnic groups, and different confessions live in peace and dignity. So, I'm sure that the life of Armenians who live in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan will be much better than it was during the times of occupation,” the head of state added.

Aliyev noted that disputes between countries are resolved on basis of territorial integrity and sovereignty

“Every conflict has its own history, has its own dynamics and has its own end but important is that disputes between countries are resolved on the basis of international law, territorial integrity and sovereignty,” the president noted.

“It cannot be changed by force. This is a position of Azerbaijan. And this position applies not only to our case but to all conflicts in the world. And we publicly articulate this position,” the head of state emphasized.