Aliyev says his admin alone can get Nagorno-Karabakh back into Azerbaijan
BAKU. June 8 (Interfax) - Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev has made assurances that his administration alone is capable of achieving a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which has gone into its third decade.
"Among the tasks of the Yeni Azerbaycan [New Azerbaijan] party, [seeking a solution to] the Armenian-Azeri Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is, of course, the main task," Aliyev told a Yeni Azerbaycan congress.
He claimed that the country's people support his line on the conflict.
"The territorial integrity of Azerbaijan neither is nor will be up for negotiations. Nagorno-Karabakh is a historic Azeri land. That's the way it is today, and that's the way it will be tomorrow. Azerbaijan will use any means to restore its sovereignty, its territorial integrity," he said.
The president said the four UN Security Council resolutions on Nagorno-Karabakh and international law are the only acceptable basis for a settlement.
"No other options are under consideration or are acceptable. And I am sure that we will solve this problem because our growing domestic power and military potential and our economic development will guarantee us victory," he said.
He claimed that Armenia is heading for a disaster because it is ruled by a "criminal" government. He predicted that this alleged slide into an abyss will be accelerating for as long as this government remains at the helm.
"I am fully confident that this and, on the other hand, our growing power guarantee that we will restore our territorial integrity. All that is needed for this is time and an effective policy that is based on national interests and involves no concessions or compromises. Our administration alone can do this," he said.
"It alone can withstand all the pressures, threats and provocations. In many cases, campaigns against us are based on this conflict, which is being used to weaken and besmirch Azerbaijan and deal a blow to its image in order to wrench concessions from us on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. This will not go ahead because we are pursuing a just cause, and the people support our policy," Aliyev said.