Aliyev says Azerbaijani forces will not leave Armenia because they “consider it their own”
Speaking to the local AzTV, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said they continue to strengthen their position on the border with Armenia. Aliyev said the Azerbaijani armed forces would not leave the Armenian territory, reiterating territorial claims. “Charles Michel called the border areas disputable during his visit to Yerevan. I do not agree with that expression, because we consider those territories ours. I think it is the territory of Zangezur. And Zangezur is the land of our ancestors, we are in our land,” Aliyev said, noting that the issue was discussed during Charles Michel’s visit to Azerbaijan.
“I tried to explain to him that we had moved to our borders. Why did we come in May? Because the snow melted. After the snow melted, we took the necessary heights and settled on them, fortified there and strengthened,” Aliyev said.
He reiterated the Azeri position that “there is neither Nagorno Karabakh nor a status for it.” “There is no territorial unit in Azerbaijan called Nagorno Karabakh, the fact that Charles Michel did not use that expression is perceived as respect for our position. As for the status: on November 10, after the war, I showed the place of status,” he said.