President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said speaking at the 5th Congress of World Azerbaijanis that "as for the mediators, unfortunately, high-ranking officials in Armenia still speak about the Minsk Group. I think it is in vain, it makes no sense. The Minsk Group was virtually paralysed in 2019. Now, looking at the history and actions of this group, its proposals, we can see once again that this group was not created to solve the problem. We were just a little naive at the time. The group was created not to resolve the issue, but to perpetuate the occupation. Armenian lobby groups are very influential in the Minsk Group co-chairs."
Speaking about the Pashinyan government that came to power in Armenia at that time, the Aliyev said, "in 2019, the group's activities almost stopped. The reason was the very strange behaviour of the new Armenian leadership, because when the new Armenian leadership came to power in 2018. Both in the Minsk Group and, I must say, we had some hopes that the criminal junta regime had been overthrown and that the new generation of politicians who came to power would understand the reality that they could not fight Azerbaijan. The active negotiations that have been going on for almost a year have strengthened this idea."
He added, "after the snow melted, the remains of the Iskander-M missile were found in Shusha, in the centre of the city, and once again we proved that Armenia used this deadly weapon, a banned weapon and a weapon they did not have. They can see the remains of the Iskander-M rocket in the Trophy Park."
"Leading international organisations have accepted the realities of post-war. The UN, which held an international event in Shusha. The European Union is now very active in the normalisation process between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The OSCE, which understands very well, no longer has the Minsk Group. A few months ago, even before the Russia-Ukraine war, I was asked what the Minsk Group would do? I said that 2022 is the 30th anniversary of their establishment. They will celebrate the anniversary and then retire. But the Russia-Ukraine war [means] that [they] did not have the opportunity to celebrate the anniversary," Aliyev said.
Regarding the agreements reached at the meeting in Brussels, Azerbaijan's President underlined: "Currently, the foreign ministers and ministries of the two countries are forming working groups, and I think that concrete talks should be started in the near future and the talks should not be prolonged. Therefore, the text of the agreement can be prepared and signed soon, and thus relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, including diplomatic relations, can be established."
"By making this proposal, we once again show our good intentions and, I repeat, show foresight. The occasional revanchist forces in Armenia should know that this is the only way out for Armenia, and perhaps the last chance. If they refuse, we will not recognise the territorial integrity, we will officially declare it. Given the consequences of the Second Karabakh War, the Armenian side must understand well what this step will lead to," he added.
