'Do not agree to occupation'. President of Azerbaijan suggests way to restore Ukraine's integrity

The President of Azerbaijan was asked what advice he would give to Ukrainians as the leader of a nation that managed to restore its territorial integrity after three decades.

In response, Aliyev said that he had already answered a similar question several years ago, and his answer would not differ from what he had said before.

"I think this is in line with the aspirations of the Ukrainian people. Never agree to occupation. That is the main advice. That is what we did," Ilham Aliyev said.

Continuing to answer questions, the president told the story of his country. In particular, he said that the period of the First Karabakh War was very difficult and tragic for Azerbaijan, with numerous casualties. The post-conflict period was no less difficult.

"From an economic point of view, we had a million people who were left without a means of subsistence. More than 700,000 Azerbaijanis from the Karabakh region, as well as 250,000 Azerbaijanis living in Armenia, were deported," the president said.

He added that at that time, the country's population was 8 million. The state had one of the highest per capita refugee rates. Azerbaijan's budget was empty, and the country had virtually no support. In particular, there was no international support.

Such a country was led by Heydar Aliyev, who managed to stabilize the situation and gradually revive the state.

"Gradually, we began to get back on our feet, revive, and think about only one thing. I am sure that the vast majority of our citizens agree with what I am saying. We thought about how to return the occupied territory. We understood that it would be difficult," Aliyev says.

Soon, the country began to gradually regain its territory, even though the international situation was against Azerbaijan. In particular, the OSCE Minsk Group was on Armenia's side, and everyone in it tried to ensure that the status quo remained unchanged and the situation lasted forever. In addition, there were other issues.

However, Azerbaijan did not agree with such realities and in 2020 began to create new ones.

"We decided that we would create new realities, and then you would have to put up with them. That's what happened, we started creating new realities in 2020. (On the 44th day of the war - ed.) They were forced to come to terms with it, then in September 2023, in one day, which they were also forced to come to terms with, so I am answering this question a little more broadly to reveal what I said at the very beginning," Aliyev explained.

Continuing his answer, he emphasized the main point: "Returning to what I said - never give up and never accept the violation of territorial integrity."

Aliyev added that he was president of Azerbaijan for 17 years before returning the occupied territories. At the same time, he admitted that his faith in justice had almost disappeared.

The president of Azerbaijan noted the consolidation of society as another important factor.

"Consolidation gave me such moral strength as president and commander-in-chief. I was confident that society and the people would stand behind me. And that was probably one of the decisive factors. So I will return to where I started: never give up," Aliyev concluded.

A few months ago, Aliyev stated that wars in the world only end after one of the parties signs an act of surrender.

For his part, the ceasefire is only needed to regroup, mobilize, and start all over again.

In addition, Aliyev said that he sees no prospects for peace between Ukraine and Russia in the foreseeable future.