Sharmazanov responds to Aliyev
"Azerbaijan will never grant Nagorno-Karabakh such a status that can separate Karabakh from Azerbaijan," Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in his opening remarks at a Cabinet meeting on July 14.
"The documents on the table clearly show everything related to the status of the Nagorno-Karabakh and how it should be defined. No status can be given to the Nagorno-Karabakh without the consent of the Azerbaijani state. It is an integral part of the talks. It means that neither Armenia nor the separatists of the so-called Nagorno-Karabakh nor any third force can give a status to the Nagorno-Karabakh without Azerbaijan's participation and consent. This is the essence of the negotiations. This is why Armenians' announcements that the day will come when the Nagorno-Karabakh will be independent are nothing but illusion, wish and dream. The negotiations contain no mechanism related to the Nagorno-Karabakh's separation from Azerbaijan, and they can never contain such a mechanism," he said.
Aliyev reiterated that Azerbaijan's territorial integrity has never been and will never be a topic of discussions.
"What the mediators propose is that Azerbaijan's territorial integrity must be restored, the Armenian aggressors must withdraw from all the occupied territories, and Azerbaijani displaced persons must return - and they will return - to their native lands, including the Nagorno-Karabakh," the Azerbaijani President said.
Further Aliyev said the country is strengthening its military potential.
"Recently we've made certain changes to our budget, which now makes 15 billion. We allocated additional 500 million for military spending. This is part of our single-minded policy. In our case, we must focus on strengthening the country's military potential, and we are doing it. Azerbaijan's military spending is today 2 billion 150 million dollars, which is more than the total budget of Armenia. And we've achieved the goal that we set for ourselves a few years ago. This allows us to modernize our army and purchase state-of-the-art weapons and military equipment," he said stressing that Azerbaijan must always be ready for a war.
Commenting on Azerbaijani President's announcement, Spokesman for the Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) Edward Sharmazanov said it testifies to Azerbaijan's boundless ignorance.
"I would like to inform Azerbaijan's Sultan that "the right to self-determination" means that the people should decide their fate and excludes taking decision by a second nation. If some other country takes decisions instead of Aliyev and his country, it does not mean that Aliyev or his kinspeople can make decisions for Karabakh. It is up to Karabakh people to determine their fate and they did it long ago - there is no alternative to Artsakh's independence," the Republican Spokesman said.
