Baku: Completely safe conditions possible in region henceforth

By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmat Hajiyev has said that from now on it is possible to create completely safe conditions in the region.

He made the remarks in his speech at the conference "44-Day Victory Path" at Baku's ADA University on November 5.

The official underlined that very large-scale post-war reconstruction had not been conducted in any country over the past 25-30 years.

Hajiyev stressed that Azerbaijan has to rebuild more than nine cities from the scratch, as they were completely destroyed by Armenia.

"Azerbaijan's proposals are obvious. President Ilham Aliyev stated that Azerbaijan is ready for peace negotiations. From now on it is possible to create completely safe conditions in the region," he said.

Moreover, he stressed that Azerbaijan is ready to establish peaceful relations with Armenia if both countries recognize the sovereignty and territorial integrity of each other.

"There is no more conflict. Karabakh is a matter of our internal policy. Armenia must come to terms with the situation in the region that has been changed and abandon territorial claims against Azerbaijan," he underlined.

Speaking at the same conference, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov described Armenia's efforts to hide and not to provide mine maps as a pointless and absolutely wrong approach.

He recalled that President Aliyev expressed Azerbaijan's interest in the negotiations, noting the need for a peace agreement. 

"Azerbaijan suggests Armenia respect its neighbors, get out of the economic stalemate as a result and, by establishing normal relations, develop. Naturally, Azerbaijan can only express its intention and appeal, the decision will be made by the Armenian leadership. Azerbaijan is determined to form peaceful relations," he said.    

The foreign minister also stressed that Azerbaijan complied with international humanitarian law during the 2020 second Karabakh war.

He said that in the 1990s Armenia put forward unacceptable conditions, and in subsequent years, when Azerbaijan's position strengthened, it resorted to tactics to slow down the negotiation process.

"Armenia openly committed political provocations, which then turned into military provocations," he said.

Bayramov emphasized that over the years, Azerbaijan has uncovered facts of illegal settlement and sent piles of letters to international organizations about Armenia's provocative steps. He stated that unfortunately, Azerbaijan's patience was not properly understood, Armenia did not draw any conclusions from it.

"And a counter-offensive operation started on September 27, 2020. Azerbaijan restored the state borders. As for the main goal of the military operation, from the first day President Ilham Aliyev said that if the political leadership of Armenia provides specific dates for the withdrawal of troops from the territories of Azerbaijan, then the operations will be stopped," he added.

Furthermore, the minister underlined that Azerbaijan has so far handed over up to 1,700 bodies of servicemen to Armenia under humanitarian law. Bayramov stressed that nothing is known about the fate of 4,000 Azerbaijani citizens, who disappeared in the first Armenia-Azerbaijan Karabakh war.

The minister added that today the main goal is the return of compatriots to the Azerbaijani lands liberated from Armenia's occupation.

“People visiting these territories are surprised by the scale of destruction and the commissioning of the Fuzuli International Airport in the shortest period, the beginning of the construction of airports in Zangilan and Lachin, the construction of roads, approval of the general plans of cities. We will return the first inhabitants to these lands soon,” Bayramov added.