Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan - Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmat Hajiyev gave a detailed statement to the Turkish press.
Modern.az reports that a group of journalists from Turkey interviewed H. Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, within the framework of the "Geography of Peace Karabakh" program.
The Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan touched upon many issues taking place in the region.
He spoke about how official Baku prevented Israel's attempt to recognize the so-called Armenian genocide with the aim of provoking Turkey.
The President's assistant said that Turkey is the number one issue in Azerbaijan's foreign and domestic policy, and in its state thinking. If there is any issue that can harm Turkey's interests, no matter who it comes from, Azerbaijan has a principled position there:
"When the Armenian genocide claims came to the agenda in Israel, we were the first country to condemn it in the strongest possible terms. From our point of view, there is no question mark, nor can there be. This is a red line for us. Mr. President gave instructions and we called Israel, and told them: 'What you are doing is not right. If you think you will disturb Turkey with this issue, you are mistaken. For Turkey, this issue is already an old propaganda topic; it was a thesis used by the West against Turkey in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. With this step, you will further harm Turkey-Israel relations. You are also harming Azerbaijan-Israel relations and the view of Israel in Azerbaijani society. In the end, this will not gain you anything. For this reason, it would be a smarter step to withdraw it.' They accepted that this was not a correct decision and understood the importance of withdrawing it in a short time. This is our duty. We do not expect thanks for this; this is our fraternal duty.
While we consult with Ankara on many issues, we took action on this issue without talking to Ankara. Because the principle of "one nation, two states" also demands this. This is also the philosophy of the Shusha Declaration. If Turkey is not at the table, Azerbaijan is; we also said our word."
Hikmat Hajiyev also expressed Azerbaijan's position on Palestine.
"We see that dirty propaganda is carried out from time to time in this regard. Azerbaijan has a principled position on the Palestinian issue: the two-state solution principle. The establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital forms the basis of this approach. Azerbaijan has a diplomatic representation in Ramallah. Azerbaijan recognizes Palestine as a state and continues this position. The Prime Minister of Palestine was in Azerbaijan and we listened to him. There were some requests they conveyed to us. We also conveyed these to the Israeli side."
H. Hajiyev also spoke about the issue related to SOCAR:
"SOCAR is a company of both Azerbaijan and Turkey. It is our pride, an integral part of our common past. Some people come out and protest against SOCAR. Through SOCAR, Azerbaijan has invested 20 billion dollars in Turkey and intends to invest more. We see this as a fraternal duty. SOCAR works with Turkey to ensure Turkey's energy security. However, rumors are circulating on Turkey's social media as if SOCAR supplies all of Israel's oil and is involved in the genocide. Some myths have been fabricated about Israel-Azerbaijan relations. Yes, Azerbaijan has relations with Israel. We do not deny it. This is a reality. The fact that Azerbaijan has relations with Israel allowed us to solve an issue with a short phone call. Those who carry out propaganda are enemies of Turkey and Azerbaijan, they are traitors to the homeland."
The Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan also emphasized that Azerbaijan considers Iran a brotherly country:
"From a geopolitical point of view, the situation in our region is very difficult. A war is going on between Iran, the USA, and Israel 200 km south of Baku. If we go 200 km north, the Russia-Ukraine war continues. We also consider Iran a brotherly country. Because our brothers live on the other side of the border, across the Araz River."
H. Hajiyev responded to the claim that MOSSAD used Azerbaijani territory as follows:
"Firstly, for us, the freedom of our lands and our sovereignty are the main principles. Secondly, Azerbaijan would never allow interference against a neighboring country from its territory. Thirdly, we also have a debt of loyalty there. The people living on the other side of the border, as I said, regardless of their nationality and religion, are our brothers. How can we allow this? Fourthly, how can this be technically possible? How will it come here from Israel? It must come through Turkey. Turkey would not allow it, nor would Azerbaijan. How will this happen? There are elements of dirty propaganda here."
"The pleasing thing is that there is peace in the South Caucasus. Thank God, if the Armenia-Azerbaijan war had continued, sparks from these fires burning in our neighbors could have spread here. There is peace in the Caucasus and this peace is a permanent peace. The Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process is not just a statement on paper. Azerbaijan has also proven this practically," H. Hajiyev added.
The President's assistant said that official Baku no longer sees an obstacle in the peace process:
"At Azerbaijan's initiative, we achieved peace in just two years, from 2023 to 2025. Everyone in Europe, in Brussels, loves to talk about peace. France and Germany signed the Elysée Peace Treaty in 1963, despite the end of World War II in 1945. 17-18 years later. We, on the other hand, signed the peace treaty two years later. Despite Armenia committing genocide against us, we showed that our intention is only peace...
We appreciate that the current leadership of Armenia has adopted the concept of "real Armenia" as its main approach. We expect this to be transferred to the Constitution. We have no intention of interfering in Armenia's internal affairs after the elections. They have statements and declarations that they will adopt a new constitution. Once adopted, there is no problem in signing the peace treaty. Our goal is to bring the Azerbaijan-Armenia and Turkey-Armenia peace processes to a conclusion in parallel.
We no longer see a serious obstacle in the peace process. We are aware that the Armenian side has also adopted a new policy by accepting the new geopolitical reality. They have also accepted the truths and that the occupation has actually held them captive for years; they have also understood that this was wrong. Armenia has accepted how important relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey are for its development."
H. Hajiyev also spoke about the Zangezur corridor:
"The opening of the Zangezur corridor, in our opinion, is already an integral part of the new geopolitical reality. It serves Armenia's interests as much as it serves our interests. Because Armenia also understands the importance of having transit opportunities in the region.
The text of the peace treaty is already a text that we have initialed and clarified. There is already an agreement regarding the corridor, which is called the "Trump corridor" in the joint statement signed between the USA and Armenia. According to what the Americans told us, the technical and economic justification will be completed this summer, and then they will start construction work quickly. As Azerbaijan and Turkey, we have already established our work in the region today. We do not have a problem with the interruption of communication. Baku-Tbilisi-Kars is operational today. We have TANAP, we have TAP. If Armenia also wants to be a part of these regional infrastructures, let them come."
H. Hajiyev said that the US's involvement in the Zangezur corridor issue was very important.
"It will be in the role of a guarantor for peace. It will also be a guarantor in the Zangezur corridor. I don't want to go into too much detail.
Was the current leadership of Armenia always peace-loving? I don't think so. We ensured that they were peace-loving with our steps, and they understood that they had no other way than peace. Now, if they want to build a "real Armenia", let them build it. They can manage their internal affairs within the borders of Armenia. But they should no longer have eyes on our lands; I believe they will not in the future either."
A. Gorkhmaz
