This is reported by Kyiv24
The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, urged Ukraine not to tolerate the occupation of its territories by Russia. He made this statement during a media forum in the city of Shusha while responding to a question from Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Gordon.
Parallels Between Azerbaijan and Ukraine
Aliyev drew an analogy between the situation in his country and that of Ukraine, emphasizing that Azerbaijan had long lost control over Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas—these territories were outside Baku’s jurisdiction for nearly 30 years. However, in 2023, the Azerbaijani army managed to regain control over these lands, resulting in the majority of the Armenian population leaving the region.
“Over the years of the negotiation process – in which I have participated since the end of 2003 – there have been many proposals, many meetings. There were many messages about the need to come to terms with the realities. And then we decided to create new realities, and you will have to come to terms with them,” said the President of Azerbaijan.
The President advised Ukraine not to agree to the occupation of its territories and to build its own strategy for restoring sovereignty. Official Baku continues to support Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
Azerbaijan and Russia: Questions of Responsibility
In his speech, Aliyev also mentioned Azerbaijan’s dissatisfaction with the statements made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. In particular, Baku was outraged by the comparison of the Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories with the situation in Karabakh, as well as Lavrov’s designation of Karabakh as a disputed region.
Furthermore, in Shusha, Aliyev announced that Azerbaijan is preparing documents to submit to international judicial bodies regarding the plane crash of AZAL airline that occurred last December. According to Azerbaijani authorities, the plane was shot down by Russian air defense systems while attempting to land near Aktau.
Aliyev emphasized that Baku possesses evidence of Russia’s involvement in the incident and expects the Moscow authorities to acknowledge their guilt, punish those responsible for the tragedy, compensate the families of the deceased and injured, and reimburse the damages caused. After seven months, no official response has been received from the Russian side.
As early as February, Azerbaijani media reported on the preparation of a lawsuit in international courts, emphasizing that “the doors for dialogue with Russia remain open.”