On December 24, Ilham Aliyev, the President of Azerbaijan, viewed conditions created in an administrative building of the Western Azerbaijan Community and met with a group of intellectuals from Western Azerbaijan [nowadays Armenian territory], the Press Office of the Azerbaijani President reported.

"Western Azerbaijan is our historical land, confirmed by several historical documents, maps, and history itself. Unfortunately, the Armenians razed all our historical and religious monuments in Western Azerbaijan to the ground, as they did in Karabakh. The names of cities and villages are of Azerbaijani origin, and we know perfectly well that the Azerbaijani people have lived in the territory of present-day Armenia throughout history," he added.

President also condemned authorities of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in 1918: "For centuries, our people have made great sacrifices to protect their rights and to live on their historical lands. Despite this, however, our people were deprived of their native lands at various times in history. In this regard, the 20th century was associated with great tragedies for our people. In one of its early decisions, the newly established Azerbaijan Democratic Republic practically presented our historical city, the city of Iravan [Yerevan], to Armenia in 1918. It was an unforgivable step; it was treachery and a crime. We all know this very well, and our people should know it too. We must never give way to the distortion of our history."

"In 1920, by a decision of the Soviet government and on the insistence of Armenian nationalists, Zangazur, another historical land of ours, was severed from Azerbaijan and annexed to Armenia. This was yet another crime against our people. And the goal behind this was quite clear. First, Armenian nationalists held important positions in the Soviet government. On the other hand, it was a step taken to separate Azerbaijan from Nakhchivan and Turkey from a geographical point of view," Aliyev emphasized.

Regarding September operations carried out by Azerbaijan, the President said, "We had to carry out a military operation on the Azerbaijan-Armenia border. As a result of this military operation, the historically Azerbaijani cities are now visible to us. We are on the shores of Bala Goycha [Sevan Lake] now. We can already see Lake Goycha without binoculars. First of all, I think it is only fair. Secondly, the September clashes will insure us against major problems in the future. Because revanchist forces are emerging in Armenia – it does not matter to us whether they are in the government or the opposition. Even the mountains of Nakhchivan are visible from the heights we are based at today. So, this is a truly historic achievement."

Respond from the Armenian Foreign Ministry

On the same day, the Armenian Foreign Ministry reported that the thoughts expressed by the President of Azerbaijan prove once again that the leadership of Azerbaijan is in no way interested in establishing peace and stability in the South Caucasus. "All the justifications made in the speech regarding the illegal blocking of Lachin Corridor have nothing to do with reality. This and other aggressive actions carried out by Azerbaijan against the people of [the separatist] Nagorno-Karabakh in the past are part of the consistent policy of ethnic cleansing of the people of Nagorno Karabakh," the report added.

"Emphasizing once again the determination of the Armenian side to build peace and stability in the region, we call on the interested international partners through targeted statements and targeted actions to oblige Azerbaijan to stop the bellicose and fanatical rhetoric, fulfill the obligations assumed by itself, withdraw the Azerbaijani troops from the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia and restore normal operation of the Lachin corridor," the Ministry concluded.