Epress.am News from Armenia
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, speaking at the country’s National Academy of Sciences, urged local scientists to continue working on scientific activities which are designed to justify “the historical rights of Azerbaijanis” in the entire Greater Caucasus region.
He began his speech by stating that the “Armenian state emerged on historical Azerbaijani lands.” In particular, Aliyev called Armenia’s southern region of Syunik, which separates Azerbaijan from the Nakhchivan exclave bordering Turkey, “ancient Azerbaijani land artificially transferred to Armenia.”
“This had a very negative impact. This divided the entire Turkic world. It’s true, we are trying and we will do everything in the future, through political moves, economic initiatives, summits of Turkic states to unite all of the Turkic world. But from a geographical point of view, the Turkic world today is divided,” report Azerbaijani media conveying the president’s words.
Aliyev concluded by stating his views on the name of the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh, Stepanakert. “The city of Khankendi is not Stepanakert, it’s Khankendi. Stepanakert was named as such after the leader of the bandit squad [Stepan] Shahumyan [leader of the 26 Baku Commissars]. I have repeatedly said if this town had a historical name, the Armenians would’ve definitely restored it.”