"Of course, as a co-chair of the Minsk Group, Russia has the rights and powers given to the three countries by the OSCE. But, of course, Russia, as our neighbor, as a country with a common history with both Azerbaijan and Armenia, certainly plays a special role.
The statement came from President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in an interview with Russia's RBK television channel on October 10.
"Undoubtedly, this role is based on the history and relations of our peoples, as well as Russia's weight and role in the world and, of course, in our region. Therefore, of course, Russia's ability to influence the settlement of the conflict is incomparably greater than that of any other country for these objective reasons.
Therefore, we have repeatedly appealed to the Russian leadership to use the means of political influence on Armenia, to convince the Armenian side that the occupation must end. This topic has been discussed many times, and I can tell you that in all my numerous meetings with my Russian counterpart, this topic was discussed either in detail or in a less detailed form, but it did not happen. After all, it is no secret that today Armenia is 100 percent dependent on Russia. Its security is provided by Russia, free armaments are provided by Russia.
We destroyed Armenian equipment worth billions of dollars in two weeks. Where does this money come from? They have no money. All this is sent free of charge from Russia. Gas supply from Russia is provided at discounted prices, and electricity is provided at a discount. Railways, communications, military base. Even Armenia's border with Turkey and Iran is guarded by Russian border guards. If this were not the case, the border would be empty.
What other country has so many means to influence Armenia? No country.
Perhaps there are no other two countries in the world where one of them is so completely dependent on the other.
Therefore, I am convinced that if Russia insists, Russia can convince Armenia in the short term, given the awakening of Yerevan as a result of changing the status quo, crossing the line of contact: the only way out of the current situation is to resolve the conflict with Azerbaijan. is to find.
The solution is very simple - they must leave our territory, withdraw their troops, our people must return there and we must try to live together again. "
NEWS TAPE
