Azerbaijan's President Says Will Agree to Ceasefire If Armenia Vows to Withdraw Troops From Karabakh - Sputnik International

Baku would be prepared to cease its operations in Nagorno-Karabakh if Armenia proposed an agenda for the withdrawal of its forces from the contested region's cities, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has announced.

"Our condition for a ceasefire is that Armenia should propose a temporary agenda for the withdrawal of troops from the occupied Azerbaijani territories in Nagorno-Karabakh, which would not be shown merely in words, but implemented in deeds, on which days which territories would be freed," Aliyev said, speaking to Al-Arabiya on Sunday.

    "We agree with the point of view that the problem with Armenia should be resolved through dialogue, but there must be a foundation for this. The Armenian Prime Minister must declare his adherance to previous agreements, according to which the territories of Nagorno-Karabakh were recognized as occupied Azerbaijani territories," Aliyev added.

According to the president, stopping the fighting will also require an apology from Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who allegedly "called the occupied Azerbaijani lands Armenian."

    Otherwise, Aliyev warned, Azerbaijani operations would continue, and Baku would try to establish normal relations with the Armenian people after liberating its lands.

"We will try to restore normal relations with the Armenian people after the liberation of our occupied territories. We will try to return to good-neighbourly relations, although it will not be easy," the president said.