Azerbaijan retains right to liberate its occupied lands by military means

He made the remarks at an extraordinary plenary session of the Parliament. Asgarov noted that Azerbaijan is a peace-loving state.

“We reject war as a means of claim on the territory of other states. Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding territories were occupied by Armenia. If Armenians do not leave our territories, Azerbaijan has the right to liberate the occupied lands by military means in accordance with its legislation and the UN Charter. Our cause is just,” said the first deputy chairman.

Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with signing of a fragile ceasefire in 1994. Since the war, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the largescale hostilities.

While the OSCE Minsk Group acted as the only mediator in resolution of the conflict, the occupation of the territory of the sovereign state with its internationally recognized boundaries has been left out of due attention of the international community for years.

Until now, Armenia ignores four UN Security Council resolutions on immediate withdrawal from the occupied territory of Azerbaijan, thus keeping tension high in the region.