Thursday, March 20 2014

The military budget, readiness will play a main role in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, said when addressing at festivities on occasion of Novruz holiday of Azerbaijani people, APA reported. 

"Azerbaijan's foreign policy is independent. It relies on the national interests of the Azerbaijani people. We are defending our national interests with honor and successfully. I can say that today the influence of Azerbaijan on regional processes increases.  Azerbaijan frequently becomes the initiator of international projects,"  Ilham Aliyev said.  According to him, the main problem of the country's foreign policy is the unresolved Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: "For many years, international law, justice is being violated. Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan, our historical, eternal land. Azerbaijani people have lived and worked on this land.  All place names in Nagorno-Karabakh reflect the culture and history of the Azerbaijani people. Not only Nagorno -Karabakh but also a significant part of present-day Armenia - is ancient Azerbaijani land "- President Aliyev said.

"I am absolutely convinced that the growing power of Azerbaijan, our potential and forethought foreign policy will allow us to restore our territorial integrity. No other way. The course of history, our demographic development, economic potential allow us to say that the day when the national flag of Azerbaijan will flutter in Shusha, Khankendi is not far away. We need to become even stronger to do this. In the international arena, there are double standards. We are also victims of double standards. In the settlement of international relations the power factor is coming to the foreground. We must become and are becoming even stronger, "- said President Ilham Aliyev.                  

The Head of State noted that historical justice and international law are violated: "The whole world community recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh as an integral part of Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijan's territorial integrity will play a main role in addressing this issue. This conflict must find a solution on the basis of norms and principles of international law in the framework of the territorial integrity of the countries. Territorial integrity of the countries can not be changed without their consent. These are basic principles of international law; these principles form the basis of the Helsinki Final Act. I am sure that this conflict will find a solution based on international law. Azerbaijan will restore its territorial integrity and sovereignty. We, Azerbaijanis will return to Nagorno-Karabakh, other occupied lands and all the historical Azerbaijani lands. I have no doubt about it, and we have to be even stronger to achieve this. "

In recent years we are paying great attention to build the army. Our military budget is twice more than the entire state budget of Armenia. Military budget, readiness will play a main role in the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. "

For strengthening of his authoritarian regime, Aliyev again called Armenia a fascist state, the victims of which are the Armenian people allegedly devoid of independent development. "It is very difficult to use the expression of "independent state" since they have no independent policy, no independent economy", - he said. 

However, he made an optimistic prediction saying that Armenia will also have an opportunity to live like an independent state.  "I do not believe that the Armenian people may agree with the current situation, as every nation, every state wants to be independent. Today, to say it about Armenia is impossible, since Armenia shows itself in the best case as an outpost. "- said the Head of State.