ISTANBUL / KHANKENDI, Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Saturday urged Ukrainians to “never accept occupation.”

Speaking at a meeting with participants of the Third Shusha Global Media Forum in the city of Khankendi, Aliyev said Azerbaijan never accepted the nearly 30-year occupation of its Karabakh region and despite going through difficult periods, it ultimately liberated the region.

Aliyev argued that during the long years of occupation, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) Minsk Group was working to maintain the status quo on the issue rather than resolve it.

He further said that the group, founded in 1992 and co-chaired by France, Russia and the US with the stated aim of facilitating the resolution of the Karabakh conflict, was telling Azerbaijan to accept the situation, but Baku rejected.

“We created a new reality in 44 days in 2020, and they were forced to accept it. Ukrainians must also not surrender and must never accept the violation of their territorial integrity,” Aliyev said, referring to the second Karabakh war in fall 2020, which paved the way for Karabakh’s full liberation in 2023.

On the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, now in its fourth year, he urged the Ukrainians to "never accept occupation."

Zangezur corridor

Aliyev touched on the Zangezur corridor, stating the route will not only unite Azerbaijan’s territories but will be a strategic link that will strengthen regional and international transportation.

Aliyev said the corridor's annual capacity will reach 15 million tons and Azerbaijan is rapidly pursuing railway construction on its own territory up to the country’s border with Armenia and Iran.

“We will complete this line in the summer of 2026. Unfortunately, no work has been done on the Armenian section," he said.

“They (Armenia) are deliberately trying to avoid raising this issue. If they continue to try to obstruct this process, they will continue to be isolated both from transportation and political perspectives," Aliyev added.

Commenting on a question regarding the US' proposal to oversee the corridor, Aliyev asked that the question be asked to Armenia, further expressing: "There can be no company management on our land."

He underlined that Baku's right to unimpeded and safe passage to its autonomous Nakhchivan exclave must be ensured, noting he personally conveyed the demands to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

He also touched on the EU Mission in Armenia, expressing: "They are professional agents. They are engaged in espionage activities against Iran. Sometimes they watch us with binoculars, but we are also watching them.”

Azerbaijan-Armenia peace deal

In response to a question by Bilgehan Ozturk, Anadolu's Strategic Communications and External Relations Manager, Aliyev said Yerevan was reluctant to accept two articles of the draft peace agreement for some time.

Expressing that Armenia accepted the two articles after US President Donald Trump was elected to a second term in the Oval Office, Aliyev reaffirmed Baku's conditions for signing the deal.

“The agreement will be signed once the Armenian Constitution and OSCE Minsk Group issues are resolved. The text can also be initialed first. I believe we are very close to signing the peace agreement. This process has reached an irreversible point," Aliyev said.

He added that the signing of the deal will lead to major changes in the region, adding: "The South Caucasus needs peace and stability.”

AZAL plane crash

The president also commented on the situation around an Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) plane crash last December, saying Baku has not received any official response from Russia regarding the plane.

Noting it has been seven months since the crash, Aliyev reaffirmed Baku's demands from Russia.

"Our demand is natural. They should confess their crimes. Those who shot down our plane should be punished. Compensation should be paid to the families of the victims. Compensation should also be paid for AZAL’s plane," Aliyev said.

He said Azerbaijan's Prosecutor General's Office constantly tries to contact its counterparts from Moscow, but the response it receives is that the "investigation is ongoing."

"We will not forget this. We will apply to international justice. We have also informed Russia of this," he added.

An AZAL flight traveling from Baku to Grozny, Russia, crashed 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from the city of Aktau in Kazakhstan, on the Caspian Sea coast, on Dec. 25, 2024, killing 38 of the 67 passengers and crew members onboard.

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone with Aliyev three days after the crash, offering condolences and apologizing for it in Russian airspace.

The following day, Aliyev said the plane’s tail was severely damaged by "weapons fire from the ground," as he urged Moscow to accept responsibility, punish those responsible and provide compensation.