July 23, 2021 - 12:32 AMT
Aliyev: There is no status, no Nagorno-Karabakh

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has weighed in on what he describes the post-conflict situation in the region, maintaining that "there is no status, no Nagorno-Karabakh."

Aliyev said that European Council President Charles Michel during his trip to Azerbaijan did not use the terms "status" or "Nagorno-Karabakh", which he said was "a very wise step".

“We appreciate this and Armenia must draw conclusions. There is no status, no Nagorno-Karabakh, ”Aliyev noted, according to Moscow-baku.ru.

The Azeri leader also said that his country will continue to "strengthen" its positions on the border with Armenia.

“During his visit to Yerevan, Charles Michel described the border territories as disputed. To be honest, I disagree with this assessment, since we consider these territories to be ours. I believe that this is the territory of Zangezur, and Zangezur is the land of our ancestors and we are on our own land,” Aliyev said.

Aliyev has on multiple occasions spoken about a so-called "corridor" through the southern Armenian province of Syunik that would connect Nakhijevan to the rest of Azerbaijan. The Armenian side, however, has repeatedly denied being involved in negotiations for the provision of a "corridor" to Azerbaijan, stressing that they have only agreed to unblock transport communications in the region.