YEREVAN. – The recent statements of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev testify to the difficult situation in the neighboring country. Artur Vanetsyan, Chairman of the Homeland Party and former Director of the National Security Service of Armenia, said this in a conversation with Hraparak.am.

“The collapse of world oil prices poses significant risks to the overall stability and ruling regime of that country. In order to divert the public’s attention from the growing problems, the president of Azerbaijan is trying to distort the whole history of his people, the Armenian people, and the region.

Aliyev’s assessments on the decades before our independent state, unfortunately coincide with the assessments of the current Armenian authorities, and that is where the danger lies for us. And the intensity of Aliyev’s repeated slanders is always connected with oil prices.

As for the recent history of Armenia, it is a story of the establishment of statehood and of victory—with all its shortcomings and mistakes. And Aliyev’s and [Armenian PM Nikol] Pashinyan’s position, which coincides from time to time, cannot change the historical truth.

Aliyev is deeply mistaken in his “predictions” of Armenia’s future. Armenia will soon be able to overcome all internal difficulties, the problems that have arisen due to ill-advised governance of the current Armenian authorities will be successfully neutralized, and our country will go on the path of development, strengthening of statehood, and solidarity.

Anyone who makes a threat to our country must clearly realize that internal, political conflicts disappear in the face of external threats, and the Armenian people, with all their resources, become one fist—ready for new victories.

I invite the attention of the [OSCE] Minsk Group Co-Chairs. Aliyev’s disrespectful statements against Armenia and its authorities aim to disrupt the course of the [Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh)] peace process,” Vanetsyan said.