Azernews.Az

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in Britain on Monday there was no prospect of Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh, an Azerbaijani region occupied by Armenian armed forces, being granted independence.
"Upper Garabagh will never be recognized as an independent country," Aliyev told foreign policy experts at Chatham House in London.
He said Baku was ready to grant the highest possible level of autonomy for the residents of Upper Garabagh within a sovereign Azerbaijani state, and the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of the region may co-exist in the future. "This is the only possible option, and, if the Armenian side displays political will, the conflict can be settled," Aliyev said.
Further, the president said Armenia's concerns on creating an overland link with Garabagh and security issues were comprehensible, emphasizing that Baku was ready resolve these matters constructively. "But it is absolutely ridiculous to expect that Upper Garabagh will become an independent state. A territory within Azerbaijan populated by 60,000 people cannot be independent."
Though the separatist regime in Upper Garabagh declared so-called independence in 1991, at the time of the Soviet collapse, this "independence", which blatantly tramples on international law, has not been recognized by the world community to date.
Aliyev said peace talks were "more promising" but the positive dynamics was not enough to reach the ultimate goal of reaching peace. "We have been living in the conditions of neither war nor peace in the past 15 years."
The Azerbaijani leader said Baku is committed to a peaceful settlement and has proven this clear-cut stance in the past years by holding negotiations.
"But I can't fully exclude a military option because Azerbaijan has a right, under international law, to restore its territorial integrity. No country can be denied this right."
He noted that Azerbaijan possesses a powerful military capable of restoring the country's integrity. At the same time, the commander-in-chief assured international experts that Baku will continue making an effort to resolve the Garabagh conflict in peace.
Aliyev, on an official visit to the United Kingdom, met with Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Monday.
Brown said his country's cooperation with Azerbaijan was progressing in a variety of fields, including the energy sector. "We are keen on expanding our relations with Azerbaijan in the political, economic and other areas."
Further, Brown welcomed Azerbaijan's expanding relationship with the European Union. He said Britain would continue providing Azerbaijan with multilateral assistance on the world stage.
Aliyev, for his part, pointed out the countries' increasing energy cooperation. "The energy sector is one of the very important directions in our bilateral relations. Cooperation between Azerbaijan and BP has been rapidly developing for many years. There are good prospects for the development of relations in other fields, as well."