Representative of Azerbaijan's President for Special Assignments Elchin Amirbayov gave an interview to France's I24 channel. He said that after the anti-terrorist measures, Azerbaijan fully restored its sovereignty over its territory.
Amirbeyov highlighted that according to international law, these lands are the territory of Azerbaijan, as recognized by the world community. Everybody, including France, accepts this fact:
- I think that one of the important results of the agreement is that this will have an important impact on the settlement of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. We are talking about the signing of the peace agreement, which is the subject of negotiations. Existence of an illegal Armenian military contingent in our territories was the main obstacle to negotiations and peace process. We believe that after the separatists abolish their illegal armed groups and lay down their weapons, this will have a positive impact on the effective dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Besides, it will create appropriate conditions for the agreement and signing of the peace treaty. As you know, these discussions have been going on for almost a year.
- Will Armenian residents of Nagorno Karabakh live peacefully in these territories of Azerbaijan if today Azerbaijan's territorial integrity is restored?
- Of course. However, I want to make a minor correction. 'Nagorno Karabakh' doesn't exist. There is only Karabakh region in the territory of Azerbaijan. 'Nagorno-Karabakh' was an artificially created concept during the Soviet Union. I also want to note about the number of residents living there, since there are often mistakes regarding this issue. They use the number 120,000. However, according to approximate figures, there are only about 50,000 residents of Armenian origin living there. This figure also includes 10,000 armed groups, which must be disarmed and leave our territories. It is essential for peace.
The issues of reintegration of Armenians living in Karabakh into the political and economic space of Azerbaijan will be discussed at the meeting between the representatives of the central authorities of Azerbaijan and the representatives of the Armenian residents of Karabakh. We have already prepared relevant ideas and even an action plan in this regard. Those proposals will be presented to the representatives of the Armenian community.
- Azerbaijan announced its readiness to normalize relations with Armenia after the long-term tension and war. Are you optimistic that the Armenians are also ready to normalize relations?
- Yes. Since I am a diplomat, I must try to stay optimistic. Even with this, I believe that the problem of existence of illegal Armenian armed groups must be resolved. We have restored sovereignty in all our territories. Therefore, Armenia should resume discussions and talks with Azerbaijan. As a member of our delegation negotiating with Armenia, I must say that almost half of the draft peace agreement has been agreed, and this was done through a constructive approach of both sides. Now we have more hope to reach a positive conclusion that will be accepted by the world, especially by both peoples - Azerbaijanis and Armenians. Now they have a chance to continue their lives as good neighbors in peace, stability and progress.
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