Aliyev: "The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War Was Inevitable After Armenia's Provocative Statements and Actions"

The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, stated that "the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War was inevitable after the provocative statements and actions of the Armenian leadership," according to Interfax.

"The Armenian government is responsible for everything that has happened recently, as it has taken numerous provocative steps and actions and incited war," Aliyev said on Friday while receiving the foreign ministers of Romania, Austria, and Lithuania in Baku.

He recalled that the former Armenian Minister of Defense publicly stated that "Armenia would gain new territories in the event of a new war," which Aliyev believes was "a blatant threat to Azerbaijan." He also highlighted Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's statement that "the leadership of Nagorno-Karabakh should participate in the negotiation process."

"In fact, this was not only against our interests but also against the format developed by the OSCE Minsk Group and its co-chairs. Another provocative statement from the Armenian leadership was that 'Artsakh is Armenia, end of story.' This ended almost any negotiations... Thus, the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War was inevitable, and this was clear to everyone," Aliyev declared.