On January 10, local TV channels interviewed the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, the Press Office of the Azerbaijani President reported.

Regarding Second Karabakh War, Aliyev stated, "We can say with complete certainty that the world has accepted the war’s outcome. Azerbaijan's just cause has been confirmed again, and we must strengthen the situation created at the war’s end, i.e., our positions." He added: "We have yet to receive help from anyone after the war. Only the presidents of two countries – Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan – initiated the construction of two schools in Fuzuli. Apart from that, we have not received a single manat of aid from anywhere."

The head of Azerbaijan emphasized the country's economic development, "Economic independence must be solidified; last year, our gross domestic product reached a record high. According to the latest information, it reached 134 billion manats, equivalent to some $ 80 billion. Of course, foreign trade also increased and exceeded $ 50 billion. The positive balance of foreign trade is $ 25 billion. In absolute terms – it is below $ 7 billion – and in relation to the GDP. Of course, it has decreased sharply. Our foreign debt accounted for 17 percent of the GDP at the beginning of last year. By the end of the last year, it dropped to 9.5 percent. For comparison, it accounts for 100 or even 130-150 percent in many developed countries."

On the impact of the Russo-Ukrainian War on world trade and infrastructure, he said, "The Russia-Ukraine War has boosted the relevance of our efforts. However, we have been investing in this area for many years. Thus, all the main activities related to the Middle Corridor and the North-South transportation corridor crossing through Azerbaijan have been completed. Because the current capacity of the railway limits the expected cargo volume, we believe that 15 million to 30 million tons of cargo can be transported across Azerbaijan through the North-South transportation corridor alone. Considering that, this has become one of the top priorities for Russia after the start of the Russia-Ukraine War."

The president also touched upon the recent development of relations with Central Asian states, especially in the economic sphere: "As for the Middle Corridor, we also have a consistent policy in this direction. As you know, we inaugurated the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway five years ago. After we got the initial revenues from oil, we allocated substantial funds to this project ourselves. As you know, Georgia was given a loan of $ 775 million, and this project was completed. Currently, we are seriously engaged in expanding this project. Last year I had numerous meetings with the leaders of Central Asian countries, and I can say that this topic was discussed in every meeting. There should also be new routes for cargo from Central Asia. The route across the Caspian Sea is very attractive in terms of time. At the same time, we should make this route economically more viable by implementing a standard tariff policy. Negotiations are going in a positive direction here as well. So, given the shipping potential of the Central Asian countries and the cargo going there from Europe, we see that even if we implement and expand all these projects, it will still not be enough. Therefore, the economic viability of the Zangezur Corridor is beyond doubt."

Regarding the Zangezur corridor, Aliyev added, "Of course, it is more than just an economic and transport project for us, it is a project of strategic significance. We are sure that the realization of this project is our natural right. In addition, the realization of this project was also reflected in the trilateral statement of November 10, 2020. Indeed, there is no mention of the 'Zangezur Corridor' in it because I introduced the term 'Zangezur Corridor' in the geopolitical lexicon afterward. However, it is explicitly stated that there should be a transport connection between the western regions of Azerbaijan and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, and Armenia should provide it. Armenia wants to shy away from that and has not fulfilled its obligations for over two years. But that won't stop us. It would happen whether Armenia wants it or not. Although they perceive it as another threat in Armenia, I had no such idea. It is simply inevitable. It will happen sooner or later."

Regarding the recent "Western Azerbaijan" narrative, Ilham Aliyev emphasized: "It is no secret that the Western Azerbaijan Community was denied its rights as a community that was deported for many years. Western Azerbaijanis should return to their ancestral lands; this is their right, and all international conventions recognize this right of theirs. As the state of Azerbaijan, we must do our best to secure this right."

He also spoke on energy issues after Russo-Ukrainian War, "The visit of the president of the European Commission testifies to the attention being paid to this issue by the European Commission and by Mrs. Ursula von der Leyen personally. After the start of the Russia-Ukraine War, other issues may have overshadowed energy security issues and become a top priority on Europe's agenda. Considering the construction of all the gas pipelines, we aim to increase the supply with the European Union. But to do this, of course, we must invest in production, and we are doing that because the existing gas pipelines require expansion. TANAP and TAP pipelines are designed for the volumes we contracted. We did not consider the need to double the supply to Europe in such a short period. In 2021 we supplied a little more than 8 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe, whereas this year, it will be roughly 12 billion cubic meters."

He also talked about “a new version Nabucco project”: "After the commissioning of the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria, new promising directions will open up and have already surfaced. Azerbaijan's gas has already entered the Bulgarian market, and this year it will also enter the Romanian market. So, we are approaching a certain version of the Nabucco project. If you remember, there were active discussions about this project for years, but later it was deemed unnecessary. Work on creating a network of interconnectors, for example, the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria, is progressing rapidly. I also know that work is underway on an interconnector connecting Serbia to the common system, including negotiations on gas supplies with Serbia. This network's creation will allow us to send our gas resources to that market. If the Ionian-Adriatic Sea project is implemented, this project will cover three more Balkan countries that currently do not receive Azerbaijani gas."

Ilham Aliyev also touched upon the Trans-Caspian Project: "Discussions about the Trans-Caspian pipeline have been going on for many years, but there has yet to be a result. The total throughput capacity of the Trans-Caspian pipeline is estimated at 30 billion cubic meters of gas. There are several critical issues regarding the implementation of this project, one of which is who will finance this project. Companies should be involved in preparing it. We, as a country, have always supported this project. I have stated several times that if we are approached, we are ready to present our capabilities, make our infrastructure available and address other necessary issues. But we cannot initiate this project because it is not our gas."

Aliyev also mentioned India's support to Armenia on miscellaneous issues: "We see and know which countries are preparing to give arms to Armenia. Unfortunately, India is now playing a role among them. We consider this an unfriendly step. Because these weapons, especially offensive weapons, have a target, and it is Azerbaijan."

On the Azerbaijani protest along the Lachin corridor, he added: "First of all, "Kudos!" to those young people. They are a source of our pride. First, everyone has already seen that there is no talk of a blockade at all. About four hundred trucks of peacekeepers have passed through there – in less than a month… How did we learn that Iranian vehicles were taking fuel there? We saw it there. However, the Iranian side tried to deny it. We have legitimate demands, and everyone knows the history of this protest action… They did not provide us access to the illegally exploited mines. Therefore, whoever does not want to become our citizen, the road is not closed, it is open. They can leave, they can go by themselves, no one will hinder them."

About Emmanuel Macron's support towards Armenia in Prague meetings, he stated, “For a moment, I said to myself that it looked as though the Armenian-French team was on one side and we were on the other side, while Charles Michel is the referee. Because in difficult moments for the Armenian side, members of the Armenian delegation stepped aside with members of the French delegation, whispered, talked, and discussed something. I recently said in a closed-door meeting that France can live without us, we can live without France, neither they nor we will feel it. During the war, as they say, we had very tense relations. During the war, France openly accused us, slandered us. I now demand an apology from them.”