Azerbaijani president: Our territorial integrity is inviolable, must and will be restored

“I have come to be with you in these hard days, and express my support, respect and love for you. As you know, in early April, our positions came under attack as a result of Armenia's armed provocation, and we lost servicemen and civilians as well. Armenia resorts to such dirty acts as it suffers a defeat in the battle on the contact line. It targets civilians as in the early 1990s. It waged war against civilian population at that time too. Waging war against unarmed population is a great military crime. However, the Azerbaijani Army gave them a deserved response, and pushed them back. We have completely gained advantage on the contact line. Servicemen reported to me during my visits to military units today. I am, of course, informed about the ongoing battles and the current situation. Heroic Azerbaijani Army once again showed its power.  I have repeatedly said and want to reiterate that the Azerbaijani army is one of the strongest armies in the world, protecting the homeland with dignity, and giving the enemy a deserved response. If any further armed provocation is committed against us, the Azerbaijani Army will have its say”, the president stressed.

The Azerbaijani president noted that the destroyed houses are an example of Armenian fascism.

“Look what they have done to the houses. What are the occupants of these houses going to do? They will, of course, be given support by the Azerbaijani state. The commission is operating now, taking a record of all the damage caused. And the Azerbaijani state will allocate funds for the reconstruction of these houses and construction of completely ruined ones. I will take care of this issue. Rest assured. All the damage caused will be compensated and ruined houses will be reconstructed or new ones will be built. More than 500 houses are damaged in the Terter and Aghdamdistricts. More than 100 houses are completely destroyed. That’s the ugly face of Armenian fascism. The Azerbaijani Army has never fought civilian population and never will. But look what ugly acts Armenia’s doing. A group of foreign correspondents were sent here recently. They saw and photographed all the destruction here. This is a document, based on which we will take legal steps. The Azerbaijani Army protects Azerbaijan and Azerbaijani citizens. Living in villages close to the enemy, you are showing great courage. Your living, your activities and loyalty to the motherland must be an example to every citizen. Continue living here in your own land, with no fear of the enemy. We live in our land and we have no eye on the lands of other countries. We have never made a territorial claim. But we cannot allow our lands to remain under occupation,” said President Ilham Aliyev.

The head of state expressed his confidence in the end of occupation, liberation of Aghdam and other districts. “Today, Azerbaijan has gained the advantage in political, economic and military fields. The Azerbaijani army that prevented Armenia’s armed provocation in early April, once again showed its power. The Armenians got decent response and I am sure that they would produce necessary results for future. Now, we have a strong position. All norms and principles of the international law support Azerbaijan's just cause. Now the whole world knows that our lands are under occupation. Distorted opinions of the Armenian lobby and pro- Armenian politicians regarding the conflict in the first years of independence have been already eliminated. Now, there are documents and evidences. We have done a lot in political and diplomatic fields, informed international organizations and international community. Now, everyone knows that Azerbaijani lands were occupied. Now, the mediators dealing with the problem also say that this situation is unbearable. We have been repeating it for more than twenty years. The situation on the contact line of the troops has changed. Everyone is aware of it,” said the president.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict entered its modern phase when the Armenian SRR made territorial claims against the Azerbaijani SSR in 1988.

A fierce war broke out between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. As a result of the war, Armenian armed forces occupied some 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory which includesNagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent districts (Lachin, Kalbajar, Aghdam,Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Gubadli and Zangilan), and over a million Azerbaijanis became refugees and internally displaced people.

The military operations finally came to an end when Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in Bishkek in 1994.

Dealing with the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the OSCEMinsk Group, which was created after the meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Helsinki on 24 March 1992. The Group’s members include Azerbaijan, Armenia, Russia, the United States, France, Italy, Germany, Turkey, Belarus, Finland and Sweden.

Besides, the OSCE Minsk Group has a co-chairmanship institution, comprised of Russian, US and French co-chairs, which began operating in 1996.  

Resolutions 822, 853, 874 and 884 of the UN Security Council, which were passed in short intervals in 1993, and other resolutions passed by the UN General Assembly, PACE, OSCE, OIC, and other organizations require Armenia to unconditionally withdraw its troops from Nagorno-Karabakh.