Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev put forward demands to the leadership of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, reports Haqqin.az.
According to him, the parliament of the republic "should be dissolved", its president, Arayik Harutyunyan, must surrender to the Azerbaijani authorities, and ministers, deputies and "others" must leave their posts. Otherwise, Aliyev recalled the possibility of Azerbaijan "to carry out any operation in that region [Karabakh]". He believes that only if these requirements are met "can we talk about any kind of amnesty."
Earlier, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced his readiness to recognize Azerbaijan's territorial claims to Nagorno-Karabakh in the event that international guarantees are provided to the Armenian population of the region. At the same time, he noted that in this case, Baku should also recognize the territorial integrity of Armenia within the borders that include the territories occupied by Azerbaijan, including the village of Artsvashen in the Gegharkunik region.
In turn, Nagorno-Karabakh President Arayik Aratyunyan stressed that "any statements and documents" that ignore its sovereignty, as well as the right of its people to "self-determination and the fact of its implementation" are unacceptable for the unrecognized republic.
"Artsakh [Nagorno-Karabakh] was not and will not be part of Azerbaijan, because this is the will of our people, who have enough determination to fight for their rights and interests."
Since mid-December, Nagorno-Karabakh has been under a blockade organized by Azerbaijan. An acute shortage of food and medicine has begun in the unrecognized republic, and there are regular interruptions in electricity, gas, and the Internet. In April, Azerbaijani troops, in violation of the Trilateral Statement of November 2020, set up a checkpoint in the Lachin corridor, which is located in the zone of responsibility of Russian peacekeepers. In February, the International Court of Justice in The Hague, where Armenia filed a lawsuit, ordered Azerbaijan to “take all measures at its disposal to ensure the unhindered movement of persons, vehicles and goods along the Lachin corridor in both directions.” Baku ignored the court decision.