Ilham Aliyev on Western Azerbaijan, the peace agreement, the failed meeting with Pashinyan, and the accusations of reselling Russian gas

Will Azerbaijanis ever be able to return to their places of residence in Armenia, and will Armenians be able to return to Azerbaijan? Answering this question during the Global Media Forum in Shusha on July 20, head of state Ilham Aliyev said that he was "deeply convinced that this day will definitely come."

As for the return of Armenians, Aliyev recalled the refusal of Karabakh Armenians to reintegrate into Azerbaijan and accept citizenship despite repeated offers. "We expect exactly the same approach from the Armenian government, a clear statement on how Azerbaijanis expelled from the territory of Armenia, Western Azerbaijan, or descendants of those who were expelled, can return to their historical lands and visit them, or live on these lands," Aliyev said.

He added that 90% of the villages inhabited by Azerbaijanis are now empty. At what stage is the peace agreement? Answering this question, Aliyev said that 80-90% of the text has already been agreed. Armenia had to abandon the terminology related to Nagorno-Karabakh. But there are two important issues that need to be addressed.

First, Armenia should support Baku's proposal to appeal to the OSCE with a request to dissolve the Minsk Group, because it is actually inactive. Second, the Armenian Constitution contains references to the Declaration of Independence, which poses a territorial threat to Azerbaijan. It says about the unification of Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia.

"That is, as long as this point exists, the peace agreement is impossible," Aliyev said.

As for the failed meeting with Pashyan in London, Aliyev said that the British government had offered to organize a meeting in Oxfordshire. "However, the Armenian side rejected this proposal, which we were very surprised by," Aliyev said. It was planned that the British Prime Minister would take part in it, and then leave it. However, Prime Minister Pashinyan refused.

A question arises: if he doesn't want to talk to me, what kind of peace agreement can we talk about? Aliyev said adding that he did not know when the negotiations would continue. Further, Aliyev expressed dissatisfaction with the European leaders, who at the meeting in London kept asking him about the peace agreement with Armenia. To his thinking, this is not normal and he himself is never interested in the internal affairs of other countries.

He also condemned Western publications, including the "Washington Post" and the "New York Times", which publish dozens of editorials about Azerbaijan, calling him a dictator and a satrap. When asked about Russian gas supplies to Azerbaijan, Aliyev replied that Baku bought only 1 billion cubic meters of gas in Russia, "when the price on international markets was very high and the price of Russian gas was affordable. This was a purely commercial transaction, nothing more." Azerbaijan exports 25 billion cubic meters, and imports only one billion cubic meters. Therefore, such accusations are an absolute lie.  At the same time, Azerbaijan will increase gas exports by another 5 billion cubic meters in the coming years, Aliyev emphasized.