Azernews.Az

BAKU – Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has said the Upper (Nagorno) Karabakh conflict remains unresolved due to Armenia’s non-constructive position.

"There is an erroneous impression in Armenia that a lingering status quo meets their interests," President Aliyev told Ukraine’s Den (The Day) newspaper. "The Armenian side is trying to delay the conflict settlement process by all means. Every now and then they put forward the already agreed issues as a topic for discussion. Thus, attempts to turn this process into an endless one are evident. And that’s the main reason."

President Aliyev said another reason for the stalling conflict resolution is the world community’s condoning the decisions of international organizations.

"Azerbaijan’s territory, which has been recognized by the world community, has been under [Armenian] occupation for about 20 years. War crimes were committed; the town of Khojaly was wiped out and genocide perpetrated against Azerbaijanis; 613 civilians were killed, including over a hundred children. These gory war crimes went essentially unnoticed by the world community, which wetted the aggressor’s appetite even further."

Armenia and Azerbaijan waged a war in the early 1990s which claimed some 30,000 lives. Armenia has been occupying over 20% of Azerbaijan’s territory since then, despite UN resolutions on the unconditional pullout of its armed forces. One million Azerbaijanis were displaced as a result of ethnic cleansing. The ceasefire accord was signed in 1994, but peace talks, mediated by the United States, Russia and France through the OSCE Minsk Group, have been largely fruitless so far.

Aliyev reiterated Baku’s intransigent stance, saying the Karabakh conflict must be resolved in compliance with international law.

"Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity is to be ensured and the invading forces must pull out of the occupied territories – not only from Nagorno Karabakh but also from the seven surrounding regions.

"As for the issue of the population’s self-determination, it can be successfully resolved within Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. The Armenian side’s political will is necessary, along with an active stance of the mediators on this issue.

"Azerbaijan will never reconcile with the loss of its territory. We will restore it. And we really want this to be done swiftly and without military action."

The Azerbaijani leader also thanked Ukraine for its consistent position of principle on Karabakh settlement fully complying with international law.