President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan on Tuesday went on a threat-filled tirade against Armenia during remarks he delivered in occupied Shushi marking the anniversary of “Azerbaijan’s victory” in the 44-Day War.
The majority of his speech was laced with threats, demands and war mongering against Armenia. He used the word Armenia about 36 times during his 36-minute speech, Azatutyun.am pointed out.
As has been the case in the past two years, Aliyev appeared at the so-called “victory celebration” in military fatigues and delivered his remarks with his fist clenched and raised, waving it more vigorously when mentioning Armenia.
“Not only are we not afraid of Armenia, we are not afraid of anyone,” Aliyev declared. “If we were scared, we would not have started the 44-Day war.”
“In addition to structural reforms [to the Azerbaijani armed forces], we are creating new battalions while, at the same time, increasing the capabilities of existing battalions through the supply of weapons, ammunition, new technical equipment of the highest caliber,” Aliyev said, according to Azatutyun.am.
“The Azerbaijani army is now stronger than it was two years ago, and everyone should understand that—Armenia and everyone,” declared Aliyev.
Despite his public statements that Azerbaijan is getting ready for peace, and a day after the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington and pledged to “expedite” peace talks, Aliyev insisted that large sums were being spent on the armed forces. He justified that expenditure because, he said, that there was a threat from Armenia despite it having lost the war.
After bloody battles, a fragile ceasefire and Western condemnation and demands from Baku to withdraw its forces from Armenia, Aliyev proudly declared that the strategic hills on the Armenia-Azerbaijani border are currently under Baku’s control and “Armenia must comprehend what this means.”
Aliyev explained that from those strategic elevations, Kapan, Goris, Lake Sevan, as well as the majority of Armenia’s military positions are in full view, and essentially targets.
“Baku has created this situation for several reason, one of which is Armenia’s failure to fulfill its international obligations,” Aliyev emphasized, referring to the November 9, 2020 agreement that ended military actions in Artskah. He, once again raised the issue of the so-called “Zangezur Corridor.”
“For two years we have not prohibited vehicles from going from Armenia to Karabakh and back along the Lachin road. We are committed to our commitment to free movement. Armenia also undertook to provide a road connection between the western regions of Azerbaijan and the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic. Two years have passed, but there is still no feasibility study [for the road project], no progress, no railroad, no automobile road. How long do we have to wait?” Aliyev said.
Reacting to Aliyev’s statement, Eduard Aghajanyan, head of the foreign-relations committee in the Armenian parliament, said on Tuesday that Armenia has never assumed any obligation to provide an extraterritorial corridor to Azerbaijan. He reiterated official Yerevan’s position that this is a “red line” for Armenia. “Our position has never changed on this issue and will never change,” the senior lawmaker stressed.
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Overchuk, who is part of a commission established to oversee the opening of transit roads and the demarcation and delimitation of Armenia-Azerbaijan borders, in September categorically rejected the idea of such a “corridor.”
In his speech, Aliyev continuously stressed that Armenia should take lessons from the events of the past two years—44-Day War, the incidents in Parukh and the September attack.
“They [Armenia] must understand that playing will fire will cost them dearly,” Aliyev said.
The Azerbaijani leader also made a reference to the Russian peacekeeping contingent stationed in Artsakh, saying that the peacekeepers are there temporarily. He warned that if Armenia has pinned its hopes on anyone, it will “face a new calamity.”
Aliyev also said Yerevan should not pin its hopes on Iran, “which in defense of Armenia is conducting military exercises.”
“We are not afraid,” reiterated Aliyev, who said that in Azerbaijan is exercising restraint it is not because of some announcement by Armenia’s “sponsors,” but rather it is because Baku’s “own policies.”
Aliyev, added however, that Azerbaijan’s patience has its limits, and again threatened that Armenia will receive the warranted blow if it does not pull out its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh.
