Azernews.Az

President Ilham Aliyev said Tuesday that forging ties with Armenia was out of the question so long as it continued to occupy Azerbaijani territories, saying the country’s growing military power would allow to fairly settle the long-standing conflict in the future.
"Until our land is freed, any cooperation with Armenia will be impossible," he told the ceremony of conferring him with the Man of the Year award by the ANS broadcasting and media group of companies and the Chingiz Mustafayev Foundation.
Aliyev said Azerbaijan would avail of all means to liberate its land.
"We are paying much attention to the army-building field. Our military budget that is growing by the year, the establishment of the Defense Industry Ministry and the output of the first such product are tremendously meaningful for our future plans.
"We are having to continue peace talks for now, as we still have hope. But the Azerbaijani people know how difficult it is to cope with this situation," the president said.
Aliyev said Azerbaijan should be strong as a state, as a robust economy and powerful military will ensure resolution of the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict in line with the country’s interests. He added that Baku sees the signs of these advantages discerning.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus republics reared up in the late 1980s due to Armenia’s territorial claims. Armenia has been occupying over 20% of Azerbaijan’s internationally-recognized territory since the early 1990s. The ceasefire accord was signed in 1994, but peace talks have been fruitless so far.*