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By Trend

Armenia has yet to recover from the April defeat, said Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

President Ilham Aliyev said this in his congratulations to the Azerbaijani people on the occasion of the Solidarity Day of World Azerbaijanis and New Year.

“I think that this defeat should be a good lesson for them. It should demonstrate to the whole world again that Azerbaijan will never put up with this occupation. Following our victory in April, the Azerbaijani flag flies on the lands in Agdara, Jabrayil and Fizuli districts, which were once under occupation. There will come a time when our flag will fly on all of the currently occupied lands, including Shusha. This is underpinned by the unbreakable will of the Azerbaijani people and the policies of the Azerbaijani leadership,” President Aliyev said.

The President said that the key issue of country's foreign policy is the just resolution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Although there are no results in this direction, I believe that 2017 has further reinforced our positions. First of all, let me say that the so-called “referendum” conducted by the separatist regime was not recognized by the world community. This trumped-up “referendum” was not recognized by neighboring countries, the European Union or any other country. This is further evidence that the entire world community recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh as an integral part of Azerbaijan. And this is only natural. Nagorno-Karabakh is our historically native land. The people of Azerbaijan have lived, built and created on this land for centuries. Our insidious neighbors have simply destroyed our historical and religious monuments, and these lands have been under occupation for many years.

I think that the second most important issue is that Armenia has joined the negotiations without any preconditions, although it did put forward conditions. None of the preconditions put forward by Armenia after the April defeat was accepted. The negotiations were resumed without any preconditions. I do hope that we can achieve a settlement of the issue through negotiations. Of course, our strong economic and military potential further reinforce our position in the talks. Armenia has yet to recover from the April defeat,” said the president.

As President Ilham Aliyev noted, after a long break, life has returned to the village of Jojug Marjanli this year.

“After a long break, life has returned to the village of Jojug Marjanli this year. The development of Jojug Marjanli is a symbol of our unbending spirit. Residents of this settlement lived in other places for many years. But after the government of Azerbaijan built a settlement there, they returned to their native lands. The restoration of Jojug Marjanli is a source of pride for us. A beautiful settlement of 150 homes has been established there now. There is a school, a medical center, a kindergarten and the Shusha mosque – a mosque reminiscent of the Shusha mosque destroyed by our barbarous neighbors.

Let me also say that another important and even a historic event has taken place in the field of addressing the problems of internally displaced persons. A settlement for 1,170 families has been set up in Shikharkh settlement, which also used to be under occupation. On the one hand, this important event shows that the problems of internally displaced persons are always in our spotlight. On the other, this shows that Azerbaijan is building a new life in the lands liberated from occupation, establishing new buildings, public facilities and homes, and thousands of internally displaced persons are returning to these lands,” added Ilham Aliyev.

The head of state stressed that Azerbaijan's military potential has also been in the spotlight this year.

“We have provided the army with everything it needs. All international ratings show today that the Azerbaijani army is ranked among the strongest armies not only in the region but also in the world. The enemy knows and should know that. Everything will continue to be done for army building. New hardware, weaponry and the most sophisticated means of combat will continue to be purchased,” said President Aliyev.

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