Ministry of Foreign Affairs
'Armenia has occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijani lands and pursued ethnic cleansing policy in occupied territories'
EElnur Mammadzadeh, Adviser of the Middle East and Africa Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, joined the live broadcast of the news program of the Israeli TV channel i24 in Arabic at 20:00.
Elnur Mammadzadeh gave consistent and substantiated answers and comments to the host’s questions regarding statement that French President Emmanuel Macron’s statement which openly accused a number of countries of sending mercenaries from Syria to Azerbaijan, as well as Turkey's demands for the complete withdrawal of Armenian troops, which would aggravate the situation.
“First of all, we must ask who is to blame. Azerbaijan has been suffering from the Armenian occupation for 30 years. Armenia has occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijani lands and pursued a policy of ethnic cleansing in the occupied territories. Of course, the statements of the heads of some states are baseless and not based on any evidence. The brave Azerbaijani army is able to liberate our occupied lands from the enemy. The truth is with us, international law is on our side. In 1993, the UN Security Council adopted four resolutions on the conflict. The resolutions adopted by the OIC, the Council of Europe, PACE and other relevant regional and international organizations unequivocally recognize Nagorno-Karabakh and the seven surrounding regions as an integral part of Azerbaijan and demand an immediate end to the occupation of Azerbaijani territories and the withdrawal of Armenian forces. We believe that such statements have no basis”, Mammadzadeh said.
He stressed that Turkey is a huge country in the region: “Turkey has always been a supporter of truth, justice, international law and legislation. Turkey reiterates its demand for the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions calling for an end to Armenia's aggression against Azerbaijan and the immediate withdrawal of the occupying forces from Azerbaijani territory and the return of IDPs to their native lands. Due to this occupation, over one million Azerbaijanis were expelled from their native lands. We are confident that the brave Azerbaijani army will liberate our lands from occupation and in the near future we will hoist the Azerbaijani flag in the occupied territories. I would like to emphasize once again that other states have no interference in this conflict.”
The host, referring to one of the leading Azerbaijani officials, mentioned that Israel provides military assistance to Azerbaijan and airplanes are used in the combats.
The host also asked to what extent European countries are concerned about the escalation of the conflict, given that Azerbaijan’s hydrocarbon reserves are an alternative to Russian reserves in the region.
Elnur Mammadzadeh said that Azerbaijan and Israel enjoy close relations and military-technical cooperation: “As known, we import weapons from a number of countries. Given that Israel is a high-tech state in defense industry, there is nothing wrong with Azerbaijan purchasing Israeli-made weapons. I want to emphasize once again that there are no foreign forces in Azerbaijan. We do not need mercenaries from other countries. Our army is strong, and with the enthusiasm of our people and our army, we are determined to liberate our occupied lands from the Armenian occupation. For 30 years, the people of Azerbaijan have been looking forward to the implementation of resolutions of international law. However, the international community has not been able to put pressure on Armenia over the years and force the occupier to leave Azerbaijani territory. Anyone wishing to be aware of the resolutions of international law can visit un.org, the official UN website.”
“Azerbaijan, which regained its independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union, soon became a country of strategic importance for the transportation of oil and gas. We export hydrocarbon resources to Turkey and from there to European countries through existing oil and gas pipelines. Armenia regularly poses threat to Azerbaijan's oil and gas infrastructure, targeting Azerbaijani civilians on the line of contact. Two months ago, Armenia again targeted civilians and military facilities in the border area between the two countries. As I mentioned earlier, we have all the opportunities to protect our interests, our oil and gas infrastructure. Armenia must realize its responsibility for undermining stability and security in the region. The only reason for the tension in the region is Armenia, which poses a threat to peace and security and has pursued an aggressive policy for 30 years. We demand that the international community put pressure on Armenia to leave the occupied territories of Azerbaijan”, added the Azerbaijani official.