President Aliyev: Territorial integrity of Azerbaijan must be restored

This support and funding by the European financial institutions are of great importance for the project’s successful implementation, added the head of state.

Issues on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Speaking at the event, the head of state also touched upon the Armenia-Azerbaijan NagornoKarabakh conflict, saying that the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan has the same value as the territorial integrity of any other state and it must be restored.

The main challenge faced by Azerbaijan is the continuation of Armenia’s occupation of the Azerbaijani lands, said the President.

"Twenty percent of the internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan has been under Armenia’s occupation for more than 20 years," he noted.

President Aliyev added that as a result of the occupation, more than one million Azerbaijanis became refugees and IDPs, and the ethnic cleansing policy was conducted against Azerbaijanis.

The head of state noted that the UN Security Council adopted four resolutions demanding immediate and unconditional withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from the Azerbaijani territories.

Armenia does not fulfill them, said the president adding that separatism and aggressive separatism are unacceptable in the 21st century.

All forms of separatism must be condemned and a single approach must be applied to all manifestations of separatism, added President Aliyev.