David Babayan: Aliyev confesses that international community exerts pressure on Baku regarding escalation in Karabakh conflict zone

 In his latest statement, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has actually confessed that the international community is exerting pressure on Baku regarding escalation along the Line of Contact of the Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijani troops, David Babyan, Spokesman for the NKR President, has told ArmInfo when commenting on Aliyev's statement that "Azerbaijan is reproached for the tension on the contact line and for the fact that the Armenian party suffers numerous losses."

"So, Aliyev does not deny that he is constantly told about the unacceptability of militarist rhetoric and escalation of the tension," says Babayan. He is convinced that the international community should switch from talks to tough measures to restrain the aggressor.    

When commenting on Aliyev's statement that if the Armenian side wants to suffer no more losses, it must "leave the Azerbaijani lands," the Spokesman for the NKR President points out that such statements reconfirm the fact that Azerbaijan is not going to change its destructive stand on the Karabakh conflict settlement.    
Babayan also slams the Azeri leader's statement that the Azerbaijani army fully controls the situation on the Line of Contact. "Probably, the Azerbaijani armed forces fully control the situation in their own territory, in Baku or somewhere else, but not on the Kabarakh-Azerbaijani border. Otherwise it would be impossible to avoid large-scale military occupation," he says. He qualifies it as PR meant for Azerbaijan's internal audience.     

To note, in his speech Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev blames not only Armenia for "occupation" of Azerbaijani lands but also the former leadership of the country and the international community. APA quotes Ilham Aliyev as saying, "This injustice continues for many years. In the early 1990s, as a result of incompetence, betrayal of the then leadership of Azerbaijan, our lands are under occupation. Unfortunately, in spite of all the decisions of international organizations, this occupation continues. The norms of international law are grossly violated, but the world community remains indifferent to it." "This is a great injustice against us, our country and the people." Aliyev also notes that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must be resolved only within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, "there is no other way, neither Azerbaijani people nor Azerbaijani state will agree to any other option."

Ilham Aliyev also stresses that the Azerbaijani army takes full advantage of the line of contact.  "Sometimes we are reproached for the tension on the contact line and for the fact the Armenian party suffers numerous losses. Our answer to this is very simple: let them leave our lands! Then the conflict will be resolved and peace can be established.   The more they make provocations, the greater losses they will suffer. Once again I want to say that today the Azerbaijani army shows its advantage. The equipment, weapons and ammunition in the arsenal of Azerbaijani Army can destroy any target in Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia," he said.