We are closer than ever to the conclusion of peace with Armenia, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev said at the opening of the 11th World Forum on "Repairing the Fractured World" in Baku, AFP reported.
"Since our last meeting, many things have happened both in the world and in our region. The main geopolitical change that has occurred since our last meeting here a year ago is the complete restoration of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan," Aliyev said.
He added that this is indeed a very serious geopolitical change, which he believes will have very positive consequences in terms of resolving conflicts that seem intractable.
Recently, Armenia also confirmed its readiness to continue negotiations with Azerbaijan with the mediation of the EU.
"At the moment it is not clear whether the negotiations will be renewed. Of course, Armenia also supports the continuation of negotiations in this format, because the priority in the country's agenda is the establishment of peace in the region," said MP Artur Hovhannesyan from the "Civil Agreement" party, whose president is the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan.
The European Union called on Aliyev to protect the rights of ethnic Armenians in Karabakh and to "ensure a full ceasefire and safe, dignified treatment by Azerbaijan of Armenians". Authorities in Armenia have accused Baku of attempting ethnic cleansing with its actions in Nagorno-Karabakh. /BGNES
