Trend, Azerbaijan
May 24 2013
Top official: Time is on Azerbaijan’s side in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
Azerbaijan, Baku, May 24 / Trend E. Mehdiyev /
Time is on Azerbaijan’s side in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Head of
the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration’s Social and Political
Department Ali Hasanov said.
Hasanov made the remarks at a workshop on “Role of youth in country’s
social and political life”, organized by the Youth Association of the
ruling New Azerbaijan Party and the public association for assistance
in the intellectual development of young people.
The official noted that Azerbaijan is becoming stronger, while Armenia
from day to day is getting weaker, and people are leaving the country.
“If the situation does not change, only one million people will remain
there,” he said. “People remaining in Armenia are elderly, sick, and
those who can’t leave the country. In fact, all the resources of this
country have been exhausted. A separatist group has established its
business around the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.”
Hasanov underlined that the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh is used for
drug cultivation and trafficking, and other illegal activities.
“Sooner or later Azerbaijan will liberate Nagorno-Karabakh from
separatists,” he said. “Of course, we will drive out the separatists,
and those, who were born and live there, will remain as they were. But
we will suppress the Armenian separatist regime in Nagorno-Karabakh
and Armenia’s support for the regime. This will surely happen.
Azerbaijani territory, occupied by Armenia, did not increase the
Armenians’ resources. Instead, it has become a problem to find an
Armenian supporting the current regime. It will be impossible to
maintain old Russian tanks and equipment.”
Hasanov said that if Armenia benefited from Azerbaijan’s projects,
millions of dollars would be transferred to its annual budget.
“Therefore, we are optimistic,” he said. “If the status quo
exasperates our patience, we have the opportunity to move to other
means, which we will.”
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are
currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Emil Lazarian. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.
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