Aliyev: Armenia must facilitate communication between Nakhchivan, western Azerbaijan

By Azernews

President Ilham Aliyev has said that communication between Azerbaijan's western regions and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic is essential and Armenia must facilitate this.

He made the remarks during his closing speech at a meeting dedicated to the results of the first quarter of 2022.

“Armenia must also see that it cannot thwart our plans. If it doesn’t grant us passage through Zangazur, it will lose and, first of all, be in violation of the November 10 statement. Because the November 10 statement explicitly states that there must be a connection between the western regions of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, and this is Armenia's obligation,” he said.

The president stressed that if Armenia doesn’t want to fulfill its obligation, then Azerbaijan will not be under any obligation to fulfill its commitments either.

“They should know this and not procrastinate. We will achieve what we want sooner or later anyway,” he said.

Khanchinchay reservoir under Mount Farrukh

Speaking about the reservoirs in liberated lands, the president underlined that Azerbaijan is currently restoring those reservoirs that were destroyed during the occupation.

“The construction of the Hakarichay reservoir is on the agenda. It will be a new reservoir. The Sugovushan water reservoir and canal will be renovated... The Khachinchay reservoir and a 7-kilometer canal will be renovated,” he said.

The president noted that the Khachinchay reservoir is right under Mount Farrukh, next to the Farrukh village, adding that the Armenian military positions were threatening the operation of this reservoir.

“In other words, it was a huge source of danger. Shots were repeatedly fired in the direction of Aghdam from there and other villages. I think there is no one in the world who wouldn’t know of Mount Farrukh, and Mount Farrukh, the great mountain of Azerbaijan, is under our control now. The Azerbaijani flag flies there now,” he said.

Aliyev stressed that Mount Farrukh is of great importance for the safety of Khachinchay and the use of this water.

Okhchuchay River catastrophe

The president noted that a special report on Armenia’s environmental terror against Azerbaijan was prepared and adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe a few years ago.

He stated that the rivers in Azerbaijan’s Karabakh were occupied and mercilessly exploited by Armenians.

“The catastrophe of the Okhchuchay River is before the eyes of the world now. We have raised this issue,” he said.

 Noting that when raising the issue, Azerbaijan was promised that the company that caused the disaster would come and clean it up, he stressed that a year has passed now, but no proposals were received.

“Cronimet is the company that contaminated the Okhchuchay River. It is a large company, and according to some foreign media, it had an illegal business relationship with representatives of Serzhik Sarkisyan’s former junta regime using corruption schemes. Together they operated the copper plant there,” he said.

Aliyev noted that the preparations for a legal claim in this regard with the involvement of international experts are underway.

Double standards and discrimination

Recalling that a gas line in Karabakh where the Armenians live was in disrepair and there was no gas supply there for some time, he noted that Armenians were saying that Azerbaijan was causing a humanitarian catastrophe there.

“They had cut off the gas supply for Nakhchivan for 15 years and kept it that way. The winter in Nakhchivan is harsher. The frost reaches minus 30 degrees,” he said.

Noting that the people of Nakhchivan lived without gas from 1990 to 2005, the president underlined that Armenian leadership and state deprived them of gas. He stressed that not any organization or country raised their voice back then.

“But when there was no gas in Khankandi for one week, there was no one left in the world who wouldn’t call us – from America to Europe. First of all, there are countries in Europe where there is no gas... There are also countries where the level of gas supply is 3-5 percent. Is there a humanitarian catastrophe there? They have been without gas for one week, is this a humanitarian catastrophe? Then why wasn’t Nakhchivan a humanitarian catastrophe when it was deprived of gas for 15 years? This is the question. Is there an answer to this question? Yes! Double standards and discrimination,” he said.

Aliyev noted that Azerbaijan has restored gas supply, and expressed hope that Armenians there will also understand that they are citizens of Azerbaijan and must and will live under the Azerbaijani flag.

“The sooner they understand this, the better for them. This is why we did that. We showed humanism. But we have never forgotten that Nakhchivan was left without gas,” he said.