Tweet
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
May 8 2013
Azerbaijan to free its land at any cost - Nagorno-Karabakh community leader
8 MAY 2013, 14:51 (GMT+05:00)
By Sara Rajabova
Azerbaijan's territories occupied by Armenia will be liberated at any
cost, chairman of the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh and
head of the Shusha executive power, Bayram Safarov, told journalists
on Wednesday.
Safarov was visiting the Alley of Martyrs in Baku over the 21st
anniversary of the Armenian occupation of the town of Shusha in the
Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, which has been occupied for
many years.
Shusha, the cultural center and capital of the historical Karabakh
Khanate, fell victim to the Armenian aggression on May 8, 1992, when
290 sq. km of Azerbaijan's territory went to the control of the
Armenian invaders.
As a result of the occupation of Shusha, 195 civilians were killed,
165 others wounded, 22,000 displaced and 68 taken hostage by the
Armenians. Their fate is unknown to this day.
Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally
recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent
regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus
neighbor that had caused a lengthy war in the early 1990s. The UN
Security Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenia's withdrawal
from the Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been enforced to
this day.
"We must return to our native lands," Safarov said. "Armenia must
withdraw from the occupied Azerbaijani territories."
According to him, if it is impossible to do so by peaceful means,
through negotiations, Azerbaijan has a modern, powerful army and the
Azerbaijani people should decide their own destiny and solve their
problems.
"If necessary, our people will liberate their lands by military means.
The Armenians just want to gain time because they have no other
choice," Safarov said.
He emphasized that today the world community is aware of Azerbaijan's
fair cause and accepts it.
Safarov also addressed the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh,
saying, "We will return to our lands which are under occupation. Let
the Armenians hear that the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh can live
there together with us. The Armenians, who lived there prior to 1992,
have the right to live in Nagorno-Karabakh in the future. Because they
are also citizens of Azerbaijan. But if they don't want that, they can
move to the territory of Armenia."
Referring to the dialogue between the Azerbaijani and Armenian
communities of Nagorno-Karabakh, Safarov said the Azerbaijani side has
always been in favor of such meetings, while the Armenian side
constantly avoids them.
"But I believe that they do want to meet," he added.
May 8 2013
Azerbaijan to free its land at any cost - Nagorno-Karabakh community leader
8 MAY 2013, 14:51 (GMT+05:00)
By Sara Rajabova
Azerbaijan's territories occupied by Armenia will be liberated at any
cost, chairman of the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh and
head of the Shusha executive power, Bayram Safarov, told journalists
on Wednesday.
Safarov was visiting the Alley of Martyrs in Baku over the 21st
anniversary of the Armenian occupation of the town of Shusha in the
Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, which has been occupied for
many years.
Shusha, the cultural center and capital of the historical Karabakh
Khanate, fell victim to the Armenian aggression on May 8, 1992, when
290 sq. km of Azerbaijan's territory went to the control of the
Armenian invaders.
As a result of the occupation of Shusha, 195 civilians were killed,
165 others wounded, 22,000 displaced and 68 taken hostage by the
Armenians. Their fate is unknown to this day.
Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally
recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent
regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus
neighbor that had caused a lengthy war in the early 1990s. The UN
Security Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenia's withdrawal
from the Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been enforced to
this day.
"We must return to our native lands," Safarov said. "Armenia must
withdraw from the occupied Azerbaijani territories."
According to him, if it is impossible to do so by peaceful means,
through negotiations, Azerbaijan has a modern, powerful army and the
Azerbaijani people should decide their own destiny and solve their
problems.
"If necessary, our people will liberate their lands by military means.
The Armenians just want to gain time because they have no other
choice," Safarov said.
He emphasized that today the world community is aware of Azerbaijan's
fair cause and accepts it.
Safarov also addressed the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh,
saying, "We will return to our lands which are under occupation. Let
the Armenians hear that the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh can live
there together with us. The Armenians, who lived there prior to 1992,
have the right to live in Nagorno-Karabakh in the future. Because they
are also citizens of Azerbaijan. But if they don't want that, they can
move to the territory of Armenia."
Referring to the dialogue between the Azerbaijani and Armenian
communities of Nagorno-Karabakh, Safarov said the Azerbaijani side has
always been in favor of such meetings, while the Armenian side
constantly avoids them.
"But I believe that they do want to meet," he added.