President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev stressed the constructive atmosphere between Armenia and Azerbaijan at the Eastern Partnership Summit. He especially noted the role of the European Union in creating such an atmosphere. The head of state said that it is essential not to miss this opportunity and use the chance to continue efforts to ensure sustainable peace in the region.
The head of state added that the Armenian leadership usually made unfounded accusations against Azerbaijan during the international events in the previous years. Positively assessing that nothing of this kind happened this time, President Ilham Aliyev stressed that he, in turn, did not make any statement against Armenia. The head of state said that it proves the formation of favorable ground for the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
"We must look to the future," President Ilham Aliyev said.
Touching upon the role of the OSCE Minsk Group, President Ilham Aliyev drew attention to the fact that no result had been achieved during the negotiations held throughout 28 years. He noted that Azerbaijan expects a response from the OSCE Minsk Group, which would meet the new geopolitical reality. The head of state added that in this context, the Azerbaijani side believes that the Minsk Group can assist in developing the peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, border delimitation, establishing contacts between people, confidence-building measures, and other issues.
As for the problem of mines in the territories liberated from occupation, President Ilham Aliyev noted that Azerbaijani civilians suffer from landmines. He added that nearly 200 people died or were wounded in mine explosions up to date. In this context, he stressed the importance of technical and financial assistance to Azerbaijan from the European Union and member-states in solving the problem of mines.