Aliyev says Azerbaijan will firmly resist attempts to dictate to it

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that baseless attempts to dictate to Azerbaijan have been and will always be met with resistance and a firm approach. Speaking at the opening of the 7th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue, as reported by APA, he pointed to what he called a double standard. Aliyev said Armenia occupied almost 20% of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, carried out a policy of ethnic cleansing that led to the deportation of a million Azerbaijanis from their historical lands, and destroyed religious and historical monuments, including 65 mosques in Garabagh, without being sanctioned or punished.

Aliyev said Azerbaijan does not interfere in what happens in other countries, considering it a matter for their peoples, and expects the same attitude towards itself. He said that if the international community agreed on basic rules of international behavior, there would be fewer conflicts and more interaction. He also said Azerbaijan's achievements over 35 years were made by its people without international assistance, as the country moved from devastation, occupation and endemic poverty toward development. He added that Azerbaijan's role in global energy and transport markets is growing and that it is considered an anchor of stability in an unstable region.