Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has stated that the peace established between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be long-lasting, but at the same time emphasized that Baku "does not intend to forget" the events of the Karabakh conflict. He made these statements during a meeting with participants of international conferences in Baku, where he also made a number of, to put it mildly, controversial judgments regarding Armenia's actions during the war and conflict.
"Today peace has been established, and the war has stopped. A peace process is underway between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and I am confident that the peace will be long-lasting. In any case, this is the position of the Azerbaijani state," Aliyev said.
The Azerbaijani president also separately addressed the condition of mosques in territories that were previously under the control of Armenian forces. He claimed that allegedly 65 mosques were completely destroyed, while some others were left in a half-ruined state.
In addition, Aliyev accused Armenia of allegedly keeping livestock, including pigs and cows, in the mosques during its control over those territories, calling it a "deliberate humiliation of Azerbaijanis and the entire Islamic world."
Aliyev's speech demonstrates that declarations about peace and reminders of the past go hand in hand in Baku. For Armenia, this means that alongside the negotiating table, rhetorical pressure will also continue.
It is noteworthy that the claims about the mosques are presented without the possibility of independent verification, and they convey more of an emotional reaction than offer a solution. Such statements can complicate the formation of trust, which is a necessary prerequisite for any sustainable arrangement.
In the near future, it is worth watching whether this rhetoric will affect the work underway on documents, or will remain merely a political message intended for a domestic audience.
