Ilham Aliyev: No country in the world had recognized the so-called ‘Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’

I was also involved in the negotiations at different stages from 2004, but unfortunately, all hopes collapsed in 2019. Then the prime minister of Armenia said that “Karabakh is Armenia, full stop”, thereby putting an end to all negotiations and making them completely meaningless. Not to mention the fact that it was an open territorial claim to the sovereign state of Azerbaijan, because no country in the world, including Armenia itself, had recognized the so-called “Nagorno-Karabakh Republic,” said the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, as he met with the participants of the 53rd meeting of the Council of Heads of Security Agencies and Special Services of the CIS member countries, Report informs via AZERTAC.

“We all remember who was at the head of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s and, naturally, it was impossible to expect anything else. All this led to the fact that the traditional relations of peace, friendship and harmony between the Azerbaijani and Armenian peoples were disrupted, a harmful ideology of national exclusivity and superiority was thrown in and attempts were made to justify claims to the Karabakh land of Azerbaijan. These tendencies were transformed into overt aggression after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the occupation of Azerbaijani lands. As a result, about 20 percent of the territory of Azerbaijan – both the Karabakh region and the former Nagorno-Karabakh region, as well as seven districts that had nothing to do with that autonomous formation, were also occupied. Ethnic cleansing was carried out, more than a million Azerbaijanis were expelled from their native lands and the situation remained as such until the fall of 2020. Azerbaijan tried to resolve the issue peacefully in every possible way. We were engaged in long and fruitless negotiations under the auspices of the OSCE. By the way, the fact that this conflict was not resolved shows that the OSCE is in need of major transformation. We also see in this conflict the inability of the United Nations to use its authority and leverage, because although four resolutions of the UN Security Council were adopted, demanding the immediate withdrawal of Armenian forces from Azerbaijani territory, they were not implemented. We waited for a long time. We had hopes. I was also involved in the negotiations at different stages from 2004, but unfortunately, all hopes collapsed in 2019. Then the prime minister of Armenia said that “Karabakh is Armenia, full stop”, thereby putting an end to all negotiations and making them completely meaningless. Not to mention the fact that it was an open territorial claim to the sovereign state of Azerbaijan, because no country in the world, including Armenia itself, had recognized the so-called “Nagorno-Karabakh Republic”. So this provocative, reckless and I would even say suicidal, as it turned out, step of the Armenian leadership, as well as other provocative actions, including those of military nature, led to the Second Karabakh War in September 2020, which lasted 44 days and ended with the complete defeat of the Armenian army and restoration of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Through the mediation of the Russian Federation and personally President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, a Trilateral Statement was signed on the night of 9-10 November, 2020, according to which the territories of the districts adjacent to the former Nagorno-Karabakh region that were still under occupation were also returned to Azerbaijan, and the Russian peacekeeping contingent was brought into the region,” the head of state added.