During a two-hour TV interview yesterday, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said he’d do everything to prevent a new war with Armenia despite ongoing differences his government has with Yerevan on several issues including border demarcation and the opening of the so-called Zangezur Corridor.

Aliyev said if such a roadway linking Azerbaijan proper with its Nakhijevan enclave isn’t opened, Baku would not open any other part of its border with Armenia.

"People and goods must pass from Azerbaijan to Nakhichevan without checks, otherwise Armenia will remain in a dead end forever. <...>If the route I mentioned (referring to the "Zangezur Corridor" - ed.) is not opened, then we do not intend to open the border with Armenia in another place. In other words, in this way, they will get more harm than good from it," Aliyev said.

Armenia insists that Azerbaijani passengers and cargo cannot be exempt from Armenian border controls.

The Azerbaijani president said work towards achieving a peace deal with Armenia should not depend on the issue of border demarcation, as Azerbaijan has not yet completed border demarcation with other neighboring countries.

 "We believe that, first, a peace agreement should be signed as soon as possible, and the border demarcation process should continue, the villages should be returned. The issue of enclaves can be resolved based on the results of the work of the commissions," Aliyev said.

Official Yerevan says the demarcation of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border is a prerequisite for any peace treaty.

Aliyev said there is no need for third-party guarantors for a peace deal.

"Now, the fundamental conditions for signing a peace agreement have been created. Armenia wants this reconciliation agreement to have guarantors. We think this is not necessary," Aliyev said, adding that a peace treaty is signed between two sovereign countries. "If someone wants to help, we don't mind. However, this assistance should not be imposed," Aliyev said.

The Azerbaijani president reiterated his belief that Baku and Yerevan must negotiate directly to resolve all outstanding issues.

"It is a matter between our two countries, and we must solve it ourselves. If we agree, a peace treaty will be signed. If we don't, we will either continue negotiations, or they will be stopped. Both are possible," he said.

Aliyev also rejected Yerevan’s proposal that the two countries withdraw their troops from their mutual border in a trust building measure.

He said Azerbaijan had regained control of its border after a thirty-year absence.

“We will not go anywhere. We will not move a single step, neither from the positions we occupied in May 2021, nor in September 2022, because the border must be clarified.”