There won't be any referendum in Nagorno-Karabakh - Azerbaijan's Aliyev
BAKU. Oct 22 (Interfax) - Azerbaijan will never agree to a referendum in Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in an interview with Japanese newspaper Nikkei.
Azerbaijan did not agree to it during talks, and now that control has been retaken over a large number of territories, this option is out of the question, Aliyev said.
At the same time, Aliyev said that Azerbaijan will not back down on its objective to restore its territorial integrity.
"All territories of Azerbaijan must be liberated. All of them. Of course, we can talk about the timing and in the basic principles, there were certain ideas about timing on which regions first or which regions second, etc. This can be discussed, but all occupied territories must be returned," he said.
All Azerbaijanis forcibly displaced must return to their "ancient lands," Aliyev said.