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Ilham Aliyev: If Armenia was sanctioned, Karabakh conflict would've been resolved long ago

05 April 2018 [14:38] - TODAY.AZ

By  Trend


If Armenia was sanctioned in the beginning of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the conflict would've been resolved long time ago, said Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, addressing the Mid-Term Ministerial Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), titled “Promoting international peace and security for sustainable development” in Baku April 5.

“For more than 25 years, our country's territories are under Armenian occupation. Nagorno-Karabakh, which is a historical part of Azerbaijan, and seven historical regions of the country, are under Armenian occupation, "said Ilham Aliyev.

"Twenty percent of internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan was occupied by Armenia. As a result of the occupation, more than a million of Azerbaijanis became refugees and internally displaced persons. Our people were subjected to ethnic cleansing policy carried out by Armenia. Armenia committed Khojaly genocide against Azerbaijanis, which is now recognized by more than 10 countries in the world. We also count on the support of the NAM member states to address this issue and express their position on this crime against humanity," he said.

The president reminded that as a result of the Khojaly genocide, 613 innocent people, among them 106 women, 63 children, were brutally tortured and killed, while thousands went missing.

"Unfortunately, occupation continues," he said.

"Once again, I'd like to express gratitude to NAM, for adopting resolution on the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, supporting the resolution of the conflict, based on Azerbaijan's territorial integrity," said Ilham Aliyev.

"Other international organizations adopted similar resolutions. The UN Security Council adopted 4 resolutions, demanding immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian troops from the territories of Azerbaijan, but they are not implemented. There's no mechanism of implementation of these resolutions. Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the European Parliament, the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe, OSCE and other leading international organizations adopted resolutions and decisions, demanding restoration of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan," said the president.

"Unfortunately, despite brutal violation of international law, despite genocide the Armenians committed against Azerbaijanis, this country wasn't sanctioned. If Armenia was sanctioned in the beginning of the conflict, I think the conflict would've been resolved long time ago," Ilham Aliyev noted.

He went on to say that on the occupied territories everything has been destroyed.

"The OSCE sent missions there twice, to collect facts. And the reports have shown that all our historical monuments, mosques, cemeteries, museums, have been destroyed by Armenian vandals. This is genocide against our culture. The occupation of Azerbaijani territory must be stopped, and only after that peace will come to the region," said the president.

"Armenia cultivates xenophobia. It's a monoethnic country, no other nations live there. All the Azerbaijanis and representatives of other ethnic groups have been ethnically cleansed from this country," Ilham Aliyev noted.

"Unlike Armenia, Azerbaijan today is one of the world's recognized centers of intercultural dialogue, dialogue of civilizations, interreligious dialogue, and also one of the centers of multiculturalism. Multiculturalism is a state policy in Azerbaijan," he said.

URL: http://www.today.az/news/politics/168592.html

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