Amirbayov says the sooner Armenian troops leave Azerbaijani lands, the bigger are chances for lasting peace

The sooner the Armenian troops leave completely the Azerbaijani sovereign territory, the bigger are the chances that negotiations on signing a peace treaty can be finalized, Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan for Special Assignments Elchin Amirbayov said in an interview with China's Fenix TV as part of his China visit, according to Report.

He noted that with the resumption of regular meetings between the parties in May, there were signs of the possibility of making progress in discussions on signing a peace treaty. Thus, an important moment for Azerbaijan was the recognition by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, including Garabagh.

"We very much look forward to Armenia’s implementation of all the commitments that it has already undertaken. In the first place, they have to complete and finalize the withdrawal of their armed forces from the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan, because even today, two and a half years after the ceasefire has been signed, there are still 10,000 of regular units of Armenian armed forces, which are illegally in the Azerbaijani Garabagh region," Amirbayov said.

He noted that though Azerbaijani territories were under occupation for 30 years, the country is ready to turn the page of hostility with Armenia.

"In November 2020, the Second Garabagh war was over. Azerbaijan liberated the territories which have been under the foreign occupation for a long time. We actually proposed to Armenia a peace agenda. I think that now that we have restored out territorial integrity and historical justice, we have a chance to turn the page of animosity and try to build good neighborly peaceful relations with Armenia. Because we think that this region deserves a better future," he said.

Amirbayov stressed the importance of building trust between the parties.

"The biggest step that we can do in order to speed up this process is at least to implement fully and with due diligence the commitments that you have already undertaken. Because if you say one thing today and further you do not implement it. of course, that affects even further the lack of trust. So, I think that the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, by meeting each other so many times, have been able, I think, to develop the understanding that this trust needs to be maintained, built upon. But actions speak louder than words, that’s why we expect our colleagues from Armenia to deliver on the promises that they have given," he noted.