Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has said that the Nagorno Karabakh conflict should be resolved within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

“The conflict should be resolved within international law. According to international law, Nagorno Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan. Therefore, the conflict should be resolved within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan,” Aliyev told a joint press conference with Italian President Sergio Mattarella in Rome on Thursday, February 20.

Aliyev said Armenian authorities “make conflicting and irresponsible statements” regarding the matter, Interfax.az reports.

The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan sat side by side at a first-ever open debate on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict on February 15. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia and Aliyev met in Germany the Munich Security Conference.