(MENAFN- Trend News Agency)
BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 23. While
delivering a speech after raising the Azerbaijani flag in Lachin,
President Ilham Aliyev pointed out peace proposals of Baku to
Yerevan, maps of delimitation, Armenia's unwillingness to provide
the Zangazur corridor, the country's revanchist ideas and
contradictory approach to the delimitation process, as well as
responded to Armenia's claims regarding the latest tension on the
interstate border.
The head of state said Azerbaijan had offered peace to Armenia
immediately after the second Karabakh war, while Yerevan kept
sticking to its revanchist ideas and didn't want peace.
'We offered them peace immediately after the war. This is
perhaps one of the handful of examples in the military history of
the world when lands remain under occupation for 30 years, people
live in suffering and deprivation, historical and religious
monuments are destroyed, cities are razed to the ground, and more
than a million mines are planted, and yet we are offering peace.
However, we see again that Armenia is not interested in peace. It
is still cherishing some revanchist ideas,' the president
stressed.
The recent events have shown the Armenian authorities'
conflicting approach regarding the peace agreement and attempt to
evade their obligations following the signing of the trilateral
statement of November 10, 2020. Yerevan's indifference to Baku's
peace proposals based on the mutual recognition of territorial
integrity is yet another obstacle to the border delimitation
process.
The president's speech reflected the decisive position of
Azerbaijan over the delimitation process, as well as the major
points regarding the relevant maps.
'We proposed to them to start the delimitation process. This
process has stretched out over about a year. Now, although this
process has started, it is purely formal in nature, there are no
negotiations on the substance of the issue and no discussion around
maps. We have prepared all the maps – both maps of the 20th century
and maps of the previous era. The process of delimitation should be
carried out on the basis of these maps,' the head of state
stated.
Thus, it has become clear again that Azerbaijan is able to start
the delimitation process with Armenia without any intermediaries,
and Baku has all maps required for a rapid and accurate process.
However, the Armenian leadership's refusal to sit down at the
negotiating table slows down the mentioned process. Armenia's
delaying the peace negotiations impedes the construction of the
Zangazur corridor, which is of vital importance for Azerbaijan and
other countries in the region.
The head of state underscored Yerevan's attempts to back out of
the construction of the Zangazur corridor, noting that, unlike
Armenia, Azerbaijan fulfills its obligations in a timely
manner.
'Armenia was supposed to provide a corridor that would ensure a
connection between the main part of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan
Autonomous Republic. So far not only have they failed to provide
the corridor but also the route of the corridor has not been
communicated to us. No specific work has been done. We have now
built the railway to Zangilan. We built the highway to Zangilan. At
the end of next year, we will bring both the railway and the
highway to the border with Armenia. However, nothing is being done
on the territory of Armenia, and it seems they are unwilling to do
anything. They are still delaying time,' said President Ilham
Aliyev.
Furthermore, the head of state outlined Armenia's failure to
fulfill not only the Zangazur corridor obligation but also all
other commitments.
'We have proposed five principles for the signing of a peace
treaty with Armenia. In words, they accepted them, but we do not
see it in practice. Again, this is a stalling tactic. According to
the act of capitulation signed by Armenia on 10 November 2020, the
Armenian armed forces should have withdrawn from Karabakh. They
haven't fully withdrawn yet,' the President of Azerbaijan said.
In general, Armenia's refusal to comply with its obligations
contributes to the regional tension, which has been once again
proved by the latest border clashes.
Speaking of the threats posed by Yerevan to long-term peace in
the region, the head of state noted that on September 13,
Azerbaijan fought back against Armenia.
'As a result, when another provocation was committed against us
on 13 September, the Azerbaijani Army responded and put the enemy
back in place yet again. I do hope that this will finally teach
them a lesson. Because they saw that no-one and nothing could stop
us. No-one's call, no statements or initiatives can stop us. We are
on our own land and we are protecting our own land. Our positions
along the border allow us the opportunity to anticipate any
Armenian provocation and take necessary measures. We are in
favorable positions on the Azerbaijan-Armenia border all the way
from Mount Murov to the Araz River. These positions give us both a
military advantage and the possibility of visual control over a
large area, including control over important communication lines,
and we are already based in these areas. We didn't have access to
these borders for 30 years,' the president emphasized.
The words 'no-one's call, no statements or initiatives can stop
us' testify to the continued international pressure on Baku and
Azerbaijan's unwavering position in this regard. During the border
clashes, Armenia tried to pull off a plan to increase international
pressure on Azerbaijan, but its plans were doomed to failure as a
result of Baku's diplomatic maneuvers and political influence.
Yerevan also attempted to make it seem as if Azerbaijan had invaded
the sovereign territory of Armenia and was conducting an
occupational operation. President Ilham Aliyev said the Armenian
leadership, media, some international organizations, and states had
no grounds for making loud statements.
'After the second Karabakh war ended, we accessed our borders.
If Armenia wants to accuse us of entering their territory, there is
no basis for that. First, if the border was where they said it was,
they should have established the border, built border lines there,
established communications and carried out engineering work. They
were under the impression that all of Karabakh and Zangazur would
remain for them, which is why they did not do anything on the
Azerbaijan-Armenia border. In other words, in the absence of border
delimitation, no-one can claim where the border passes. Let me
reiterate that we are ready for discussions and are treating the
work of delimitation commissions, the Azerbaijan-Armenia
commissions, with great responsibility. We have collected all the
maps,' President Ilham Aliyev said.
Therefore, the head of state has clearly stated that both the
military and political steps of Baku are based on official
documents. One of the essential points strengthening Azerbaijan's
position at the negotiating table and on the battlefield is the
submission of official documents.
President Ilham Aliyev added that the paragraph concerning the
alternative road construction to the Lachin corridor was included
in the trilateral statement upon his insistence. Hadn't this
paragraph been included in the document, would it have been
possible to return to Lachin and the surrounding villages in a
short time and without losses? Of course not. Baku's response with
official documents enhances Azerbaijan's strong position on the
border issues as well.
Moreover, the president has clarified once again that Azerbaijan
is prepared to give a weighty response to the enemy's revanchism
attempts in case of any threat arises.
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