[Report by OBS Network, Xiong Chaoran] On July 19th, local time, the third Shusha Global Media Forum commenced in Hankend City, Azerbaijan. President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, attended the forum and answered questions from attendees.
According to a live Q&A session released by AZERTAC on July 20th, local time, Dmytro Gordon from Ukraine also raised a question related to the Russia-Ukraine conflict that day. Gordon began by stating that Ukrainians had witnessed Aliyev leading Azerbaijan “to reclaim its own territories,” and expressed gratitude for Aliyev’s multiple public support for Ukraine’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Following this, Gordon hoped that as a leader of a “victorious nation,” Aliyev could offer some advice to Ukraine and its people.
In response, Aliyev stated that he had previously answered similar questions at an event and that his current answer was no different. “I believe it is consistent with the wishes of the Ukrainian people—never to accept (territory being) occupied (occupation), which is the most important suggestion. We have done so, or more precisely, we view this process in this way.”
President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, AZERTAC
Subsequently, Aliyev recalled that during the first Nagorno-Karabakh War (Nagorno-Karabakh War), Azerbaijan suffered countless hardships and “genocide,” and even after the war, both morally and economically, it was equally challenging.
He stated that at the time, Azerbaijan had a population of 8 million, with 1 million people losing their livelihoods, including over 700,000 from various regions of Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as 250,000 Azerbaijani expatriates living in Armenia who were expelled. Therefore, in terms of refugee numbers, Azerbaijan was among the top in the world in terms of its per capita refugee ratio at that time.
Subsequently, Aliyev mentioned his father, Old Aliyev (Heydar Aliyev), commending him for his extraordinary courage despite being in his seventies and having just undergone a serious illness to stabilize the situation, while most people also hoped to reclaim the occupied territories.
Aliyev said that at that time, the international situation was not favorable for Azerbaijan. The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Minsk Group co-chair countries (US, Russia, France) all favored Armenia based on their own interests, attempting to make “occupation permanent,” which Azerbaijan absolutely rejected.
Aliyev recalled that since the end of 2003, he had participated in negotiations for 17 years. Despite continuous proposals and numerous discussions, the message consistently conveyed was that Azerbaijan must accept reality. It was precisely because of this refusal that the outside world also believed Azerbaijan refused the “conditional independence for peace” plan.
“In 2020, we took 44 days to create new realities, they were forced to accept these realities. Then, by September 2023, just one day later, they were also forced to accept it.”
At this point, Aliyev once again referred back to what he had initially said. “Therefore, I would like to answer this question more broadly to reveal what I initially said. What I initially said might seem simple and somewhat avoidant, but behind it is the experience we actually went through during the war, at the negotiation table, and after fully regaining our sovereignty.”
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“If I were to discuss the threats, pressures, extortions, and other unsavory actions of foreign powers, it might not be a very pleasant scene, especially since that would likely require separate meetings.”
The deep grey part in the image represents the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Aliyev believes that reclaiming the Nagorno-Karabakh region after 17 years as President is not about personal glory or honor but “the responsibility towards history and future generations.” Similarly, this is equally important for Ukrainians; it’s not about someone or some ambition, but about being worthy of our ancestors and their descendants.
“Of course, the most important factor is social cohesion. This cohesion endows me with moral strength as President and Commander-in-Chief, enabling me to believe that society and the people will support me, which may be one of the key factors,” Aliyev concludes his answer. “So, back to my original statement—never give up!”
It’s worth noting that just as Aliyev made these remarks, relations between Azerbaijan and Russia have been rocked by recent events.
On June 30th local time, Azerbaijani law enforcement agencies raided the office of the Russian Sputnik news agency’s branch in Azerbaijan, detaining several Russians. The Russian side hopes Azerbaijan will release the detained Russians soon.
Earlier on June 27th, Russian law enforcement officers arrested six members of a criminal group suspected of involvement in a murder case in Yekaterinburg. The Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Zhavoronkova, stated that the suspects are “Russian citizens originally from Azerbaijan.” The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs also expressed serious concerns and summoned the Russian temporary representative in Azerbaijan on June 2nd to express strong protest. On July 1st, the Azerbaijani General Prosecutor’s Office announced that Azerbaijan had initiated criminal investigations into the actions of Russian law enforcement officers in Yekaterinburg against Azerbaijani citizens.
Meanwhile, the parliament of Azerbaijan announced its non-participation in the bilateral parliamentary exchange event originally scheduled to take place in Moscow. The Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan declared the cancellation of concerts, exhibitions, and other cultural activities organized by Russian official and private institutions in Azerbaijan. On July 1st, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the Azerbaijani Ambassador to Russia, Mustafaev, regarding the actions taken by Azerbaijan.
Furthermore, on December 25, 2024, a passenger plane from Baku, Azerbaijan, to Grozny, Russia, crashed near the city of Aksu in western Kazakhstan. The aircraft was carrying 62 passengers and 5 crew members, resulting in the deaths of 35 passengers and 3 crew members.
Following the incident, President Putin apologized to President Aliyev during a phone call, stating that the crashed passenger plane had been “physically and technically interfered with” over Russian airspace. Aliyev emphasized that the plane was deliberately shot down by Russia, but the Russian side intentionally concealed the issue, demanding an apology, recognition of responsibility, severe punishment for those responsible, and compensation.
Nearly six months later, on July 1st, according to Euronews, Azerbaijan’s Russian-language news outlet “Minval Politika” published a statement claiming to have received an anonymous letter containing testimonies, audio clips, and technical details, indicating that it was the Russian military that ordered the missile strike that led to the crash of the involved flight.
On July 2nd, the head of the Investigation Department at the Office of the Attorney General of Azerbaijan stated at a press conference that Azerbaijan was verifying relevant information. He mentioned, “Generally speaking, any information related to the event that is disseminated in the media will be verified and submitted to the investigation department. Additionally, the sources and basis of such information will be investigated. The claims regarding this incident will also undergo verification through the same process.”
According to a report by RIA Novosti on July 2nd, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated that good relations between Russia and Azerbaijan are crucial. Those attempting to undermine these relationships should reconsider their actions.
She said, “There are those who wish to profit from this, but I hope they do not end up in hot water. Because I believe that for the people of both countries, good relations are indeed essential. Those who wish to undermine such relationships must seriously consider what they are doing.”