Foreign Ministry on Ilham Aliyev's Recent Statements

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Anna Naghdalyan, has responded to the recent statements made by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

Question: The President of Azerbaijan, while speaking at the conference of Economic Cooperation Organizations, stated that "the new transport corridor will pass through the historical territory of Azerbaijan—via Syunik—and will connect the main part of Azerbaijan with the Autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan, which is an inseparable part of the country, and Turkey." Can you provide your comments on this?

Answer: I will reiterate once again that there is no mention of any corridor creation in point 9 of the trilateral statement of November 9. By referring to Syunik as "Azerbaijani historical territory" and referencing a fictitious "corridor," the President of Azerbaijan is deliberately undermining the implementation of the trilateral statements of November 9 and January 11 with such provocative declarations. Such rhetoric contradicts the obligations undertaken by Azerbaijan; it poses a blatant challenge to international law and does not contribute to establishing stability in the region, which is a threat to all states in the region.

Question: The President of Azerbaijan has again stated that he has resolved the conflict and implemented the UN Security Council resolutions. How do you comment on this?

Answer: The claims made by the President of Azerbaijan that Azerbaijan has resolved the Nagorno-Karabakh issue through military means once again highlight who is the initiator of war and the use of force, and who is leading the region toward further destabilization and trials. As always, Azerbaijan distorts the provisions of the UN Security Council resolutions, even though those same resolutions support the peace process led by the Minsk Group co-chairs. The statements by the President of Azerbaijan regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process contradict the position of the international community, and primarily the stance of the co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group, which clearly emphasizes that the conflict must have a comprehensive resolution. It is evident to us that any attempt to suppress the right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination through the use of force cannot create grounds for conflict resolution. The realization of the right to self-determination of the people of Artsakh and the alleviation of the consequences of war are key components of conflict resolution.