President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev gave an interview to the France 24 television channel in Munich on February 13.
Interviewer: Welcome to "Face to Face," the flagship program of France 24. Today, our guest is the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev. Thank you very much, Mr. President.
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you.
Interviewer: On August 8, a trilateral meeting was held at the White House with your participation, the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, and the President of the United States Donald Trump. A declaration was signed on ending the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, opening transport routes, and normalizing relations. Do you think full peace and full normalization will happen soon?
President Ilham Aliyev: Yes, I do. Because the signing of this historic document at the White House with the participation of the President of the United States means that the conflict is over, and we have entered a period of peace that we hope will be lasting. By the way, the US President also signed the Joint Declaration as a witness. More than six months have passed since then, and the situation on our border with Armenia is very calm. There are no more shots fired, no casualties, no injuries. Azerbaijan unilaterally lifted restrictions on the transit of goods to Armenia. We also started supplying essential oil products to Armenia, thus beginning our trade relations. So, we can see that peace has already been achieved. There are some formal matters to be resolved to sign the final peace agreement. However, in addition to the declaration you mentioned, the foreign ministers of both countries initialed the text of the peace agreement in Washington. Therefore, for me, this is a done deal. I believe that the Prime Minister of Armenia shares my view. We are already learning to live in peace, and it is a very good feeling.
Interviewer: That is a very good feeling. But what is missing for full normalization? As I understand it, for Azerbaijan, the issue is related to Armenia's Constitution and the text concerning territorial claims to Karabakh. Is this an absolute red line for you? If this does not change, will there be no normalization?
President Ilham Aliyev: Yes, you are right. If this does not happen, the peace agreement will not be signed. I would distinguish between normalization and an official peace agreement, because normalization is already happening. As I mentioned, all developments in a positive direction indicate this. However, in the Constitution of Armenia, which was adopted a long time ago, during the occupation of Karabakh, there is a reference to the Declaration of Independence of Armenia. It contains a paragraph stating that "so-called Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia must unite." Thus, this is a territorial claim against Azerbaijan. For many years after the end of the Second Karabakh War, our position has been very clear. It must change. As far as I know, Armenia plans to hold a referendum. Once this happens, there will be no obstacle to the official signing of the peace agreement. However, I want to emphasize again that peace has been achieved for Azerbaijan. The normalization process is progressing successfully, and I hope that as soon as these formal legal issues are resolved, we will officially have peace.
Interviewer: This year?
President Ilham Aliyev: Absolutely.
Interviewer: Vice President J.D. Vance has visited both countries. Strategic partnership relations have been declared, and within the framework of this partnership, the US will now sell all types of weapons to Azerbaijan. There is also the TRIPP project, or the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity. This is a highway and railway passing through Armenia and leading to Nakhchivan, your exclave. Are these just empty hopes, or will they really happen and change the dynamics?
President Ilham Aliyev: I have no doubt that this will happen. One of the reasons for this is that the United States of America plays a very important role in this process. The route that will connect two territories of Azerbaijan through the territory of Armenia and will even extend to the European continent is named after President Trump. It is the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity. I believe that this commitment undertaken by the President of the US himself and the agenda of the US government indicate that TRIPP will be built. It is not a long distance, just over 40 kilometers. By the way, I would like to mention that the railway that Azerbaijan is currently building from the capital to the Armenian border is approximately 400 kilometers long. In addition, about 200 kilometers will be restored in our Nakhchivan exclave. Thus, the Armenian segment of the Zangezur corridor, as we call it, is very short. I am sure it will be implemented.
Regarding the visit of Vice President Vance, yes, it was a very important visit. The visit of the Vice President of the United States is significant for any country in itself. In the current situation, it was marked by the signing of the Charter on Strategic Partnership between the United States and the Government of Azerbaijan. Thus, we became official strategic partners of the most powerful country in the world, and we consider this a great success for our country.
This Strategic Charter was published in the press, and it consists of various sections. One of them relates to the sale of defense products, but not only that. It includes energy, connectivity, artificial intelligence, investment, and trade, and all restrictions on the supply of weapons to Azerbaijan have been lifted.
Interviewer: I would like to touch upon the decision of the military court in your country to impose heavy prison sentences on 13 individuals from the Karabakh region, including life imprisonment for its former leader. There were reports that the US Vice President discussed this issue and perhaps asked you to pardon them to achieve peace in the region. Did he do that, and will you?
President Ilham Aliyev: During the several-hour meeting with the Vice President, this issue was raised by him among other matters, and I stated Azerbaijan's position on this issue, and that's all. We mainly discussed bilateral relations, regional development, TRIPP, and the prospects for an official peace with Armenia. Regarding these individuals you mentioned, they are leaders of a separatist regime that operated illegally on our territory, the territory of a sovereign Azerbaijani state recognized by the entire international community, including Armenia.
These individuals have been the organizers of all war crimes committed against Azerbaijanis and Azerbaijan for many years and have been brought to justice. They were detained and brought to justice in Karabakh as a result of the military operation we conducted. They have been provided with lawyers. The court proceedings were completely transparent. Their crimes have been proven by witness testimonies and numerous statements; there can be no talk of any violation of the law.
Interviewer: Mr. President, can you do anything about this?
President Ilham Aliyev: What do you mean?
Interviewer: You could turn over a new leaf and pardon them or make a similar gesture. This is within your authority.
President Ilham Aliyev: You know, these individuals have committed grave crimes against humanity. Imagine all those Nazi leaders who were sentenced to death at the Nuremberg trials after World War II, and after two months, someone comes and says, please release them.
Interviewer: Is this the same for you?
President Ilham Aliyev: Yes, completely. Even worse, even worse. The crimes they committed were worse than what the Nazis did during World War II.
Interviewer: In terms of turning over a new leaf, do you feel any compassion for the Armenians who were forced to leave Karabakh as a result of the last war?
President Ilham Aliyev: Our position on this issue has been very clear. We have repeatedly stated, including on our website, that we have offered all Armenians living in Karabakh to apply for citizenship or work permits. We have had several meetings with representatives of the Karabakh Armenians, but they chose to go to Armenia. Today, we have hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis who were deported from the territory of Armenia and subjected to ethnic cleansing, but the Armenian government has never made any offer for their return. I think we should approach this issue from a reciprocal perspective. The right to return is a universal right, and of course, if such a request is made to us, Azerbaijan will certainly respect this right. However, at the same time, considering that we have been at war with Armenia for 30 years and that they have kept our territory under occupation for 30 years, we expect the same treatment for hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis, whom we call Western Azerbaijanis, so that they can return to present-day Armenia.
Interviewer: I would like to briefly turn to relations with France. Relations have been very bad, especially during the last war. You criticized France in very harsh terms as a colonial power in New Caledonia and Corsica. A few months ago, French citizen Théo Clerc was released. Currently, another citizen is on trial. You had a brief meeting with the President of France during the "European Political Community" Summit. Can you say whether relations have returned to their course, or are there still problems between Azerbaijan and France?
President Ilham Aliyev: You know, the problems with France do not originate from us. We had very good relations with France before the Second Karabakh War. There were visits by President Sarkozy and President Hollande, and I made official visits to France. At the same time, I visited France during President Macron's tenure. We had very friendly relations, a lot of business activity, and more than 10 twin cities. When the Second Karabakh War began, we started restoring our territorial integrity. Unfortunately, France's position was incomprehensible. Because France, on the one hand, defends the territorial integrity of countries – it strives to defend its own territorial integrity, it is currently defending the territorial integrity of Denmark and Ukraine – but unfortunately, they sided with the separatists. The National Assembly and the Senate adopted more than 10 resolutions in support of the separatists, and even though Armenia itself did not recognize it, your parliament recognized the so-called "Nagorno-Karabakh." Relations with the government were also tense. But I repeat, we were not the source of that tension. We simply wanted respect for our sovereignty.
Interviewer: But you used very harsh words…
President Ilham Aliyev: You know, I did not start using harsh words. I want you to be absolutely sure that Azerbaijan's actions were only a response. We have a catalog of harsh words used by the President of France and many French officials, including the President of your Senate, the President of your National Assembly, and well-known figures, to insult our state and me personally. In addition, in 2020, after the Second Karabakh War, and before the anti-terror operation in 2023, very well-known figures such as Mrs. Pécresse, Mr. Barnier, and Mr. Retailleau – all these names are well-known to the audience – made illegal visits to Karabakh and supported the separatists. This was an open insult and a complete disrespect to Azerbaijani statehood. All the words spoken or actions taken by us were in response. Perhaps it was done in a harsh manner. It is not easy to measure. But I think it is important for us that, as you mentioned, I had a meeting with President Macron at the end of last year. The meeting was very positive, and we agreed to start everything anew. We are ready for this. We do not need any problems with any country, including France. I repeat, this was not our initiative, but I think now both sides are more ready for normal relations, especially after the peace achieved between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Interviewer: So, in conclusion, can we expect a meeting between you and the President of France in the near future?
President Ilham Aliyev: Yes, unequivocally. By the way, our meeting in Copenhagen was very friendly. Of course, there have been many contacts between our delegations in the months following the meeting. They are in regular contact. Several meetings have taken place. Yes, some issues still remain. President Macron and I have noted that they should be resolved by both sides. But again, it is important to understand that this movement must be mutual. As two sovereign states, we must respect each other, respect our legal systems, and not interfere in each other's affairs. If I may use your words, we did not bring up issues like Caledonia and so on first. It was France that began to interfere in our internal affairs, like Karabakh. This applied not only to that topic but also to our political agenda. In short, this must end. I think both sides know how to do it.
Interviewer: President Aliyev, thank you very much for being our guest. Thank you all for watching "Face to Face" on France-24.
President Ilham Aliyev: Thank you.