Azerbaijan and Armenia leaders speak exclusively to Euronews

The heavy fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh keeps escalating. The historic dispute flared up again recently. Both sides contest who is responsible this time around. Both sides have lost civilians and soldiers in the fighting.

Last year both countries agreed to take “concrete measures to prepare the populations for peace.” Yet in the last fortnight – we’re now reporting on the longest period violence in the region for 30 years. And this time, the conflict has now actively drawn in other countries, increasing the danger of a regional conflict.

What are the next steps for both countries? How far and for how long will the hostilities go – and at what cost? And as the international community repeatedly calls for a ceasefire, what would it take to engineer peace? And is that even still possible, now?

Euronews asked those questions directly to the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, and the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev.


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[ibrahimmy]

President Aliyev is doing an excellent pr job for his country with his good English command

[seymurmamedov]

At last somebody told Pashinyan not to speak english😂😂😂

[tunc]

What I realized so far is Pashinyan always has a very defensive guilt tripping response. Always attacking Azerbaijan or Turkey, but it doesn’t say a word about how they occupied it for 30 years..

[miareynolds]

Pashinyan never talks about the Azerbaijani population of the Karabax.... who are the refugees now... what happens to them? He speeks about the ethnic cleansing! But they did it 30 years ago! When they killed, injured, deported the Azerbaijanis from Armenia and Karabax. In these lands no Azerbaijani people now!

[ergobay]

Nonsense statements from Pashinyan.
How can you defence yourself at the lands of another country (international y recognised btw)? Nobody going to displace people living in Karabakh, but explain me pls why should the 1mln Azerbaijanis who were violently expelled from homelands in 1993 not to be able to come back?! For no reason no country in the world should not follow the norms of international law, and UN resolutions. This conflict has nothing to do with self-determination, religious or ethnic confrontation, but one country occupied and keeping under military control lands of other, there are thousands of ethnic armenians leaving currently in other different Azerbaijan cities, is it the reason for "Anschluss"?

[Oktaykkk]

There is a question: Armenia recognizes the Nagorno Karabakh region as a territory of Azerbaijan. Then why did they occupy it?

Another question: Besides Nagorno-Karabakh, there are 7 nearby Azerbaijani districts that were occupied by Armenia as well. They are not even in Nagorno Karabakh region. Then why Armenia occupied them?

And quick fact: United Nations and all countries on the world recognize Nagorno Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan. United Nations Security Council has adopted 4 resolutions which demand immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian troops from Nagorno Karabakh and 7 nearby Azerbaijani districts. Then why Armenia is not obeying these international laws?

[kamranjavaid]

I am amazed to know that Armenia has not only captured the disputed areas but also captured 07 others districts of Azarbaijan to create buffer zone.

According to UN all these areas belongs to Azarbaijan than Armenia should step down for peace.

[hsnmrdanov]

Armenian army doing provocation at Azerbaijan civil territories. As a result of provocation UN can see dead and injured people in Ganja, Barda and others.

[semidismayilov]

It is an jnternational recognised integral part of Azerbaijan that was occupied by Armenian forces together with seven other, adjacent areas of Azerbaijan.

[gabrielbatistuta]

I'm glad to see that pashinyan stopped trying to speak in English 🤣🤣

[ShakemM]

sorry, but the host is clearly biased towards armenia having kept interrupting Azerbaijan's president and supporting statements of Arm PM. this is embarrassing for news outlet.

[nusratosmanzade]

The UN resolution mentions that Karabagh and adjacent 7 regions are WITHIN the INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED TERRITORIES of AZERBAIJAN. In order to decide Karabagh's status in the region,
1) all the Armenian army has to leave the region
2) Adjacent 7 regions has to be returned to Azerbaijan.

If the following conditions not fulfilled then there is not going to be any special status for Karabagh

First ignores everyone for 30 years then begs everyone for help.

[dsx]

I think Karabakh is Azerbaijan. Russia and all world recognize international border of Azerbaijan. Long live Peace from Russia☮

[rhianaharutun]

I feel bad for Azeris . During any war the most important thing is to have honest leader . Doesn't look like those Azeris have that .

[aygunqurbanova]

how many times do we have to repeat that we are clearing our lands from Armenian separatists? We have been waiting for the peaceful adjustment of the conflict for 27 years. No peace came to these territories, instead they started placing armenians living in different foreign countries in the lands which belong to Azerbaijan.

[Ganatka]

Why is Panishyan not answering the questions?

[benjaminjohnson]

I like how the reporter talks about Azeri aggression, but doesn't ask the Armenian President about his own statements claiming all of Karabakh as Armenian. She doesn't discuss the Armenian seizure of Nagorno-Karabakh in the 1990's and the subsequent dislocation of Azeri-citizens from their homes; nor does she mention the state-sponsored settlement of Armenian refugees into Nagorno-Karabakh from the Middle East region. This conflict has been brewing for a long time and Armenia has had ample opportunity to reach a negotiated settlement IF they wanted to, but they don't. They rely on publicity from the "threat of another Armenian genocide" to distract the public from the fact that it is Armenia who has been the aggressor in this situation. It is Armenia's intention to hold onto their gains for as long as they can and will never allow for the return of land to Azerbaijan; they would prefer Nagorno-Karabakh remain semi-independent and only recognized by Armenia rather than allow the land to become a self-governed part of Azerbaijan. Armenia blaming Turkey is just a sad attempt to cast blame on a nation that has had a lot of negative press lately in an attempt to attach the Karabakh narrative to a larger one about Turkey. Turkey wouldn't be supporting anyone in a conflict there right now though, if 20% of Azeri land wasn't being occupied by Armenia.

[rahimgerayli]

Karabakh belongs to Azerbaijan and nobody can change it 🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿

[elkhanaliev]

President of Azerbaijan forgot to mention that Armenia also forcefully occupied 7 regions of Azerbaijan adjacent to Karabakh and evicted over Azerbaijani people from those territories. It is repugnant that country which is clearly an occupier screams about ethnic cleansings and terrorism.