The Azerbaijan State News Agency

OFFICIAL NEWS

Sky News TV channel broadcast interview with President Ilham Aliyev

Baku, October 9, AZERTAC

Sky News TV channel has broadcast an interview with President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

AZERTAC presents the interview.

-Thank you very much President Aliyev for agreeing to do his interview with Sky News. The French President seems confident that the truce will be agreed in the coming days and that you will be able to resume negotiations. How likely is that and on what terms?

-It depends on the position of Armenia. Azerbaijan has always been very supportive to negotiation table, and frankly speaking for 28 years since the OSCE Minsk Group was established we are involved in negotiations. We had hopes and still have hopes that negotiations will lead to progress, and will lead to political settlement. But unfortunately Armenia’s position was opposite. They used negotiation only as a pretext in order to make this process endless. In other words, they wanted always to seal the status quo, to keep status quo unchanged, and not to return the territories back which they have to according to the UN Security Council resolutions and according to the basic principles which are on the table, which were elaborated by the OSCE Minsk Group. Therefore, I hope that after this bitter defeat which Armenia is suffering on the battlefield, they will be more reasonable, and they will listen to the advises of the mediators, and will be sincere on negotiations table. Negotiations should leave to the political settlement, and to the liberation of the occupied territories.

-But what territories exactly are we talking about? Are we simply talking about Nagorno-Karabakh or we talking about the seven occupied Azerbaijani territories that they call their security zone? Because clearly you are not getting all of it back.

-Our territorial integrity is recognized by the whole world. All the countries recognize territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, which includes Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenians’ position, actually was also a pretext that we are using these seven regions surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh as an excuse to occupy a security zone. But today’s clash shows that there is no security zone in modern world. Modern military equipment does not provide security even for long distance. The security must be provided by political means. Therefore, we were always saying that political settlement will provide security guarantees for all-for Azerbaijanis, for Armenians, for other nationalities who live in the area. And the basic principles which Armenia rejected to support and clearly says how the territories are going to be returned back. In the first stage five regions of Azerbaijan which are situated on the south eastern part of Nagorno-Karabakh. Then two regions of Azerbaijan which are situated between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia. Then Azerbaijanis return to Nagorno-Karabakh. There have been 25 percent of Azerbaijanis in Nagorno-Karabakh their rights must also be provided. And they go back to where they lived in the ancient city of Shusha and other places and we restore normal communications, we restore people-to-people contact, and slowly and slowly I am sure people will reconcile. That’s the plan of the mediators and we support it.

-Would you recognize Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence if you’re allowed to have 25 percent Azerbaijani population there?

-No, no, never. And that has never been the issue on negotiation table. Our position was very clear, that Azerbaijan will never recognize Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence, because it’s our ancient land. The history of Nagorno-Karabakh is now well-known. Second, it is an integral part of Azerbaijan and why should we give independence to small number of people? Azerbaijan is a multi-ethnic country as almost all the countries in the world. National minorities live in peace and dignity in Azerbaijan and in many countries in the world. Being national minority does not mean that you have a right for secession, have a right for separatism. Separatism is a big threat to international community and all the countries in the world condemn separatism. What has been done against us was separatism of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh and military aggression of Armenia’s state against Azerbaijan which led to the situation which we are facing now. Occupation, a million of Azerbaijani refugees, ethnic-cleansing against Azerbaijanis, destroyed cities and villages. Now when we are liberating our territories, there are video about what happened there. Everything is destroyed, it’s as if like Stalingrad. It’s even worth than Stalingrad after World War II.

-But that is exactly what you are doing now to the regional capital Stepanakert. That is what you are doing to Shusha which yesterday was targeted not once but twice. A double hit on the cathedral there when it was very clear that civilians and journalists were sheltering inside.

-That was first of all a provocation from the Armenian side. We never did that in the past, we have Armenian church in the center of Baku. You can send someone, or when you come…

-It’s not that the Armenians targeted their own cathedral. How can that be?

-That’s probably their provocation in order to present us in such a way but I can tell you that they are shelling our cities. Do you know that we have 31 killed civilians as a result of Armenian bombardment? 170 wounded people and more than 1 thousand houses totally demolished or damaged because of Armenian attack on our civilians. And they use ballistic missiles. Ballistic missiles!

-With all due respect, that is also what you are doing with your shells on Nagorno-Karabakh and you have very sophisticated drone technology which should allow you to see precisely what you are targeting. So, why the civilian structures are getting hit?

-No, no. We never attack civilians. What we did in the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, we attacked their tanks, we attacked their guns, we attacked their artillery systems, and also we attacked their military infrastructure. It is not our fault that these military infrastructures sometimes is situated in the city center. But we never on purpose, we never attack civilians. Yes, we have sophisticated weapons but not all of them are sophisticated. There could be some mistakes. Therefore, there was never a deliberate attack on civilians on our side. On the contrary, every day the city of Tartar which is very close to the line of contact is being bombed. We have 2 thousand shells a day on the city. It is almost destroyed and nobody talks about them. So, please let’s be fair about that, we didn’t start it, and we don’t need to attack civilians. We need our territories. Why should we attack civilians with whom we plan to live side by side after the war is over. People of Armenian origin in Nagorno-Karabakh are hostages of a criminal regime which is there. They will, I am sure, live side by side with us in peace and dignity after the war is over.

-You have said that you would like to see Armenia withdraw its troops. But you have also said that you are not prepared to accept peacekeepers there. How else can you reassure your counterparts, the Armenians, that you will not then retake the whole lands?

-If you can tell me when I said that I don’t want to see peacekeepers, I will answer you, but I never said that. That’s wrong information I am sorry, I never said…

-But you won’t accept peacekeepers on that territory.

-Peacekeepers is one of the elements which is provided in the basic principles for the settlement, which was elaborated by the OSCE Minsk Group and there is an item about peacekeepers. But we did not come to this item to discuss it properly. Because it’s premature. Because first, we need to resolve the core issue-the occupation, liberation of territories and then, when Azerbaijanis will return, then of course peacekeepers should come. It is in the framework of agreement, if it is signed by both sides. Then both sides will select who these peacekeepers will be. So we are not against it, but we actually were not in active phase of negotiations on this item.

-It doesn’t sound as though your terms of negotiations have changed since before this latest vast outbreak of hostilities. So, I am just wondering, why weapons should be placed down now if negotiations have never succeeded before?

-You know, negotiations are taking place since 1992. Since that time there have been zero progress on the ground, zero progress. Armenia always was using some manipulation tools in order to disrupt negotiations. This year, starting from July they launched three times a military attack on us. On July, they attacked our civilians and our military positions on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan far away from Karabakh region. That lasted for four days, we pushed back, they could not occupy territories, and we stopped because we don’t have any military purpose on Armenian side. On August 23, they send a sabotage group to commit a terror act which was detained and the head of the group gives evidence. At the end of September, they launched the artillery bombardment of our cities and killed immediately innocent people. We had to respond, we had to push back, that’s what we did. Therefore, we are in favor of negotiations. I can give you two examples, Armenian prime minister last year announced that “Karabakh is Armenia”. What does it mean? It means the end of…

-I asked him what he meant.

-What he meant?

-He said that he meant that ever since the 4th century there have been Armenian churches, there has been an Armenian population and there has ever since the beginning of the Soviet Union much larger Armenian population, ethnic Armenian population in Nagorno-Karabakh than Azerbaijani.

-You know, he is telling, mildly speaking, not truth. The Armenians’ settlement in that area started in the late 18th and early 19th centuries after the treaty of Kurekchay was signed by Azerbaijani Ibrahim Khan, and Russian general. As a result of that treaty Karabakh khanate became part of Russia, and Russia started…

-I am sorry.

-That’s how it was. That’s how Armenians came to Nagorno-Karabakh. It’s only two centuries, less. He is telling about 4th century.

-You have been in power since the beginning of this century. And yet, there has been no progress made on this issue. It is all very well to blame the Armenians. But do you take some personal responsibility for the fact that your soldiers are now dying on the frontline because you politically have not been able to resolve this?

-Our soldiers are dying for our land. Our soldiers are dying on Azerbaijani soil, historical and internationally recognized. On which soil now Armenian soldiers are dying? They are dying now in Fuzuli, they are dying in Jabrayil, they are dying in other Azerbaijani territories. What they are doing there? You should ask Pashinyan what his soldiers is doing there? 90 percent of the so-called “army of Nagorno-Karabakh” consists of Armenian citizens. They are on our land. It is just enough to look at the map. For us it is a patriotic war. We are defending ourselves. We want to restore our territorial integrity to allow one million refugees to go back. That’s what we are doing. For 28 years we were patient to believe that negotiations will lead to progress. As a result, we got what we have got now. When we pushed back and punished the aggressor, you know we are attacked politically. I accepted the basic principles, Pashinyan rejected it. I accept the format of negotiations which is between Armenia-Azerbaijan, Pashinyan says no, Azerbaijan should negotiate with Nagorno-Karabakh. This is acceptable not only by me, but also by Minsk Group. So, he is to blame for what is happening now.

-The French and the Russian say that they have intelligence that Syrian mercenaries are being used on your frontlines. Do you categorically deny that?

-Absolutely, categorically. So far I haven’t been provided with a single document which testified this intelligence. Let them show this intelligence to me. Our intelligence representatives had contacts after these accusations have been made. During this contacts with their counterpart no evidence was provided. If there is evidence why is it not on the newspapers? Why is it not on your channel? Where is this evidence? Show it to me. There is no evidence. We don’t need mercenaries we have 100 thousand fighters, well-prepared, well-trained. We have modern equipment, we have all the necessary military components in order to liberate our land and that’s what we are doing. This is fake news.

-One final question, what gesture of good will could you put on the table to try and start negotiation at this stage?

-We already did that. By the way, I can tell you one more thing about who is against negotiations. Foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia were invited, even before this outbreak, to Geneva to meet Minsk Group co-chairs. Armenian foreign minister was supposed to go in the beginning of October, our foreign minister was supposed to go on the 8th of October. So, Armenian foreign minister ignored that, he didn’t go. Our foreign minister yesterday was in Geneva, met with the co-chairs. And when we received the proposal from Russia to organize the meeting between foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Russia, we agreed. So our foreign minister just an hour ago landed in Moscow, and he will be meeting with his Russian counterpart. And I don’t know what will be the program. Will he meet Armenian minister or not? But he is there. We want peaceful settlement, but settlement. We want solution, not imitation, not another 30 years of etceteras, practical steps, time-table. When our people are going back home? What will be the security guarantees for them? And how we will reconcile? Two nations must reconcile. We are neighbors, we cannot live in hostility forever. This must be stopped, but stopped on the basis of historical truth and international law.

-And a question about journalists operating in Nagorno-Karabakh. Your presidential spokesman has said that because they are there illegally on what you consider to be Azerbaijani territories, they are effectively fair game. Is that something that you believe also?

-Our position is very fair, clear. Nagorno-Karabakh is an integral part of Azerbaijan and our position is that, if any foreign citizen, any-not only journalists- if he wants or she wants to visit Nagorno-Karabakh, please, let us know. We do not expect some kind of special attitude, just inform us that such and such person wants to visit and when we have this information, when we have this sign of respect to our territorial integrity we never object. So, those who go there without this, how to say, procedure, they are being put in the black list of our foreign ministry and the entrance for them to Azerbaijan is forbidden. But if those people write a letter to our foreign minister that we made a mistake, or next time we will inform you, we remove them from the black list. This is fair, the only thing we need is just respect. Therefore, for those journalists who want to go there and cover events, I’d like to use this opportunity to deliver messages to them. Please, inform our foreign ministry by e-mail and go there. No problem.

-And you will not target them.

-We never do it. We never do it. Why should we? We are interested that journalists are coming. I am everyday on TV, everyday I give interviews, because we want to deliver our point. We want to deliver our case, we are not aggressors. We are victims. It is Armenia who is an aggressor. We want the territories back. That’s all.

-President Aliyev, thank you so much for talking to us today.

-Thank you very much.

Share news on social media

Follow us on social network

VIDEO

Sky News TV channel broadcast interview with President Ilham Aliyev

Transit officials approve New York City traffic congestion fee

Azerbaijani weightlifters to fight for glory at 2024 IWF World Cup

Taha Ayhan: We want to share the story of the liberation of Shusha with the whole world

Hirshhorn at 50: ‘Revolutions’ offers an artistic journey through time, Arts innovations

Attacks in NYC transit jump a massive 50% as subway murders surge: stats

Protocol signed to implement Shusha OIC Youth Capital-2024 program

Pope appears in better health, praises Israeli and Arab fathers who both lost daughters in conflict

Latvian foreign minister resigns amid private flights controversy

Azerbaijan's Minister of Labor and Social Protection of Population meets with UNDP Resident Representative

Rediscovered Raphael masterpiece to be exhibited in French Basilica

Draft law on Corsica`s autonomy adopted. MP Josepha Giacometti Piredda protests describing it as “shackles”

China’s CATL to cut its EV battery costs by up to 50% this year, heralding a price war

UN chief applauds Türkiye's Global Zero Waste Initiative, calls for end to waste cycle

Azerbaijani ambassador meets with representatives of Egyptian media outlets

Türkiye ‘neutralizes’ 38 PKK/YPG terrorists over past week

Azerbaijani boxers claim 2 golds at Great Silk Way international tournament

Azerbaijani female boxers claim nine medals at Great Silk Way International Tournament-2024

From Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa, President of the Republic of South Africa

With 783 million people going hungry, a fifth of all food goes to waste, UN says

Trump leads Biden by 5 points in new national poll

Chairman of Azerbaijan’s State Customs Committee meets with Egyptian ambassador

Georgian Gov’t approves 2024-2025 climate change action plan

Guivami Rahimli: “…Azerbaijan’s aim is to transform the role of energy in international relations from fueling disagreements to oiling cooperation…”

Azerbaijani Ombudsperson meets with residents of Armenian origin in Khankendi

Seoul bus drivers go on general strike

Azerbaijan to pin hopes on seven female gymnasts at 35th Rhythmic Gymnastics International Grand Prix in France

Western Azerbaijan Community issues statement

Practical classes held with Military Institute’s cadets

Telescope shares clear image of Sagittarius A* black hole in Milky Way Galaxy

Artificial intelligence laboratory launched at Baku Higher Oil School for first time among higher education institutions in Azerbaijan

Election results confirm Bassirou Diomaye Faye's victory in Senegal's presidential race

Azerbaijani oil price declines in global markets

Oil prices surge in global markets

Moscow checks, discusses with Baku alleged arms deliveries to Kiev — MFA

Russian diplomat accuses France of intelligence operations in Caucasus

Childbirths in S. Korea hit another low in January

Azerbaijani delegation of Chamber of Accounts visits US

China opens WTO dispute against US subsidies to protect its EV industry

Aykhan Hajizade: We strongly condemn anti-Azerbaijani allegations in report prepared by group led by Rasmussen

Indonesia's Marapi volcano erupts

Türkiye says it will always ‘stand shoulder to shoulder’ with Pakistan in fight against terrorism

Obama, fearing Biden loss to Trump, is on the phone to strategize

Georgian PM, Parliament Speaker nominate national football team for Medal of Honour

Türkiye to host 2027 European Games

Passenger traffic at Baku Airport increased by more than 30% during the holidays

Number of those injured in Moscow attack rises to 360

35 more families relocated to Fuzuli city get house keys VIDEO

Controversial Titanic floating door prop sells for $718,750

Humans pass more viruses to other animals than we catch from them

On World Theatre Day, ICESCO calls for greater integration of “father of all arts” into school curricula

Black Carbon: Not just pollutant, but also driver of global warming

From Daniel Noboa Azín, Constitutional President of the Republic of Ecuador

Two Azerbaijani boxers qualify for final of Great Silk Way International Tournament-2024

1 in 3 migrant deaths occur en route to escape conflict: UN migration agency

ICESCO obtains Observer status in Non-Aligned Movement Parliamentary Network

China sends multirole satellite into orbit VIDEO

® Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Mladen Ivanic elected Honorary Member of the Editorial Board of the My Azerbaijan International Magazine

Japan aims to launch next-generation passenger aircraft by around 2035

Global oil prices drop

Austria stun Türkiye 6-1 in international friendly

Six workers presumed dead after crippled cargo ship knocks down Baltimore bridge

Azerbaijani oil price drops on world markets

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry: Statements by EU and US clearly have a one-sided and biased character VIDEO

2 UK ministers resign, forcing Sunak into Cabinet reshuffle

Poland, Ukraine bag EURO 2024 tickets

Azerbaijan relocates 35 more families to Fuzuli city VIDEO

Speaker of Azerbaijan's Parliament meets with ICESCO Director General

Attack on Turkish nationals in Belgium demonstrates PKK terror threat to Western Europe: Türkiye

Moldovan delegation addresses appeal to PACE regarding Azerbaijan

AI plays key role in protecting Australia's giant kelp forests

ANAMA: 462.1 hectares of territory cleared of mines and UXOs over past week

Moscow court arrests eighth suspect in Crocus City Hall terrorist attack case

Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry: Another stronghold of Armenians found in Karabakh region

Global Times newspaper hails Azerbaijan-China relations as "Gold standard friendship"

Over 1.6M competitors applied to technology contests at Türkiye's TEKNOFEST

Western Azerbaijan Community strongly condemns Tovio Klaar's anti-Azerbaijani stance and approach violating media freedom

Boeing CEO to step down in management shake-up as manufacturing issues plague storied plane maker

Geneva hosts 3rd Conference of Non-Aligned Movement Parliamentary Network

To His Excellency Mr. Mohammed Shahabuddin, President of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh

Death toll in Moscow terror attack rises to 139: Russia

Azerbaijan draw 1-1 with Bulgaria in FIFA Series 2024

Turkish foreign minister, NATO chief discuss forthcoming meeting, regional developments

Speaker of Azerbaijan’s Parliament meets with Serbian counterpart

Azerbaijani female gymnast qualifies for Paris 2024 Olympics

EU investigates Apple, Meta and Google owner Alphabet under new tech law

Azerbaijan to face Bulgaria in FIFA Series 2024

State Security Service conducts an operation: a person planning acts of terror arrested in Azerbaijan

Ecuador's youngest mayor found shot to death alongside staffer

® Former President of Croatia Ivo Josipoviс holds meeting with staff of My Azerbaijan International Magazine

Azerbaijani aerobic gymnasts win silver medal at Cantanhede tournament

Azerbaijani shooters secure gold medal at international tournament in Germany

Speaker of Milli Majlis addresses 148th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union

Release of the Press Service of the President

Earthquake of magnitude 6.7 strikes Papua New Guinea, GFZ says

King of Sweden honours ABBA members with Order of Vasa for outstanding achievements in music

Switched at birth at a Manitoba hospital over 60 years ago, 2 men seek answers, compensation from province

5 dead in chemical factory fire in western India

Azerbaijani shooter gains second gold medal at international tournament in Germany

Speaker of Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova chairs Asian Parliamentary Assembly Co-ordinating Meeting

Argentine President: I will continue to spare no effort to strengthen our bilateral cooperation and economic relations in areas of mutual interest