Aliyev's Statement That 'Karabakh Is Azerbaijan' Is As Symbolic As Pashinyan's

Aliyev's statement at the 'Valdai' forum that 'Karabakh is Azerbaijan' is as symbolic as Pashinyan's statement in Stepanakert. This was noted by the former Deputy Minister of Defense Artak Zakaryan on his Facebook page, where he titled his post: 'A Statement for the Sake of a Statement.'

He specifically wrote: 'That Artsakh is Armenia and must remain so is our national goal. We must achieve this at all costs. The fact that there exists a sole negotiation format to achieve this goal is also a fact, and all official political statements from all sides should be made within that framework.'

'The principle of the right to self-determination has long been recognized in all joint statements by the leaders of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries, and this needs to be continuously addressed. Almost all political figures aware of the conflict (referring to abroad) do not doubt that the peaceful resolution option lies in the recognition of the Republic of Artsakh as Armenian. However, to secure this internationally, a path still needs to be traversed. War, in whatever form, is not a solution to the issue.'

'Thus, efforts must be made in peace negotiations to preserve and develop what has been achieved. Aliyev's statement at the 'Valdai' forum that 'Karabakh is Azerbaijan' is as symbolic as Pashinyan's statement in Stepanakert. We see that even Pashinyan's pacifist approaches—that the resolution of the issue must also be acceptable to Azerbaijan—are not appreciated in Azerbaijan and do not receive adequate responses. On the contrary, recently there have been more frequent discussions about a military approach.'

'The key to the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue lies in active, understandable, balanced, and constructive relations with Russia, the USA, France, and Iran. Otherwise, any statements from either side of the conflict will not go unanswered.'