Aliyev «Will Secure» Karabakh Armenians

PanARMENIAN.Net - Azerbaijan «will secure Armenians living in Nagorno Karabakh, but will not agree to secession of Karabakh from Azerbaijan,» Azeri President Ilham Aliyev stated in an interview with NTV Turkish channel. «We will by no means agree to secession of Karabakh from Azerbaijan, as it is our land, our ancestors lived there. Armenians came to NK as guests,» he stated. In his words, « Armenians of NK can be secured, however, territorial integrity of Azerbaijan not subject to talks.» The Prague process format is «a very positive guarantee for concluding a peace accord,» as it provides for a stepwise settlement, Aliyev said.



Answering the question on the condition of conducting a referendum on the NK status among the region population, Aliyev said, «according to the Constitution of Azerbaijan a referendum can be held only throughout the country, not in an individual region. We can solve the issue based on international norms and the Constitution of Azerbaijan.» In his words, the documents proposed within the framework of the talks, provide for stages. «First of all, all lands outside NK should be liberated and Armenia's occupation forces should be withdrawn from there. Then NK Armenians and Azerbaijanis, who will return to the occupied territories, should be secured. The matter of deploying peacekeeping forces there is discussed. Azeri and Armenian leaders will hold talks to determine NK status,» Aliyev said. He remarked that «people living in NK and those, who lived there before the conflict - Armenians and Azeris - will join the process.»