Nagorno-Karabakh conflict key topic of Berlin talks
The Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the April escalation on the frontline were among the key topics discussed during the Berlin visit of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
President Aliyev, who was in Berlin for working visit, attended the Azerbaijan-Germany business forum and met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the second day of his visit.
Important issues of bilateral Azerbaijan-Germany relations were discussed at the meeting with Chancellor Merkel, said President Aliyev at the joint press conference with Merkel in Berlin, adding that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was one of the important parts of the discussion.
The president further added that the resolution of the conflict must be based on implementation of international law norms and the UN Security Council resolutions, which demand immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian Armed Forces from the territories of Azerbaijan.
Unfortunately, said the president, the sanctions have not been imposed on Armenia for brutal violation of international law, policy of ethnic cleansing and occupation of almost 20 percent of a sovereign state's territory.
Recent development in the region shows that in the land of conflict the ceasefire is not stable, it is fragile, and the status quo is not acceptable, President Aliyev emphasized.
He reminded that in April, Armenia launched another military provocation against Azerbaijan. "We had to defend ourselves, defend our civilians. By the way, six civilians were killed as a result of Armenian aggression," said Ilham Aliyev, adding that the status quo in the conflict must be changed.
The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the NagornoKarabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.
Long-simmering tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan flared again on April 2 when the Armenian side began to shell the Azerbaijani positions and settlements along the frontline. To protect civilian population, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces launched counter attacks and repulsed the enemy forces back. On April 5, the two sides agreed on a ceasefire. However, the Armenian forces commit armistice breaches on the frontline almost every day.
President Aliyev went on to say that earlier he attended the Azerbaijan-Germany business forum, adding that a big amount of leading German companies expressed interest in doing business with Azerbaijan.
The German representatives at the forum said that 80 percent of Germany's trade with South Caucasus falls on Azerbaijan, according to the president.
Speaking about the Azerbaijan-initiated Southern Gas Corridor, President Aliyev said that it was the project of energy diversification for Azerbaijan as a producer, and for consumers an alternative source of gas from Azerbaijan, which will be delivered by brand new transportation infrastructure.
Emphasizing that other areas of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Germany are also of great importance, the president said that he informed the chancellor about the transportation projects that Azerbaijan implements to create the reliable connection between Asia and Europe.
Speaking of political issues discussed at the meeting, President Aliyev said that Azerbaijan is strongly committed to democracy, protection of human rights.
"Many steps have been taken recently in order to address these issues," said the president, adding that today Azerbaijan provides all the fundamental freedoms, such as freedom of assembly, freedom of media.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict also was a major subject during the Azerbaijan-Germany business forum held earlier that day.
President Aliyev, addressing the event, noted that Azerbaijan is facing double policy, since in some cases the UNSC resolutions are implemented within days, while in case with Azerbaijan they have not been implemented for more than 20 years.
He further noted that unfortunately sanctions are not imposed on the Armenian government, adding that the resolution of the conflict should be based on territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.
The president went on to say that despite this, Azerbaijan has managed to develop successfully, and the country will be celebrating 25 years of independence this year.
Noting that Azerbaijan has implemented political and economic reforms, President Aliyev once again confirmed that all the fundamental freedoms are provided in the country.
Reminding that Azerbaijan declared the 2016 as the Year of Multiculturalism, the president said that Azerbaijan is a modern, self-sufficient country, with diversified economy.
Speaking on economy, the president said that Azerbaijan's economy has been growing rapidly in recent years. "Economic growth in Azerbaijan since 2004 was 300 percent," he said, mentioning that the country managed to lower the poverty and unemployment level, which are both now around 5 percent.
The president went on to add that currently Azerbaijan is focusing on developing its nonoil sector. He reminded that since 1994 Azerbaijan is implementing mega energy projects, which, for the first time, are connecting Azerbaijan to Black and Mediterranean seas via BakuTbilisi-Ceyhan, Baku-Supsa oil pipelines.
The president further noted that Azerbaijan's gas pipelines allow the country to export its gas to neighboring countries Georgia, Russia, Turkey and Iran.
The president then spoke about the Southern Gas Corridor project, emphasizing that the Southern Gas Corridor for Azerbaijan is a chance to diversify its resources supply, for transit countries it is an opportunity to earn money.
The president reminded that for Azerbaijan energy factor is not a priority, as Azerbaijan is leaning towards developing its non-energy sector, diversifying the economy.
Diversification of Azerbaijan's export potential is issue number one, said the president, adding that the country is working closely with international financial institutions to implement necessary economic reforms.
President Aliyev further described Azerbaijan and Germany as good partners, underlying the active political dialogue between the two countries.
Vice-Chancellor of the Federative Republic of Germany Sigmar Gabriel, in turn, praised Azerbaijan's achievements, saying that the country ranked first in the world for its economic development. He underlined the successful operation of German companies in Azerbaijan.
Highlighting the importance of the Southern Gas Corridor, Gabriel described it as a new project which would deliver the hydrocarbon resources of the Caspian Sea to Europe.
The Vice-Chancellor also expressed his concern about the Armenian-Azerbaijani NagornoKarabakh conflict, which he described as the greatest challenge facing Azerbaijan. He said there was optimism about the settlement of the dispute after the Vienna meeting.
During the Berlin visit, President Aliyev also met Wolfgang Ischinger, the head of the Munich Security Conference, officials at Airbus and members of the German-Azerbaijani Business Forum.