AZERBAIJAN PRESIDENT ILHAM ALIYEV: `AZERBAIJAN WILL RESTORE ITS HISTORIC MONUMENTS WHICH ARE UNDER OCCUPATION

Baku, February 18 (AzerTAc). “We will restore all our historic monuments after
releasing our lands from occupation. We will restore all cities and construct
buildings. But for this purpose, Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh
must be settled. Territorial integrity of Azerbaijan must be restored and our
compatriots must return to their homelands”, said President Ilham Aliyev in his
speech during the opening ceremony of “Baku - the Capital of Islamic Culture – 2009”
culture year.
Stressing state protection of architectural, historic and religious monuments in
Baku and other regions of the country, the Head of State said we can’t protect our
historic heritage in our lands, which have been occupied during Armenia`s aggression
against Azerbaijan.
He added: “Because our lands are under Armenian occupation. 20% of our lands have
been occupied in the result of this occupation and ethnic cleansing policy and more
than a million of our citizens became refugees. Our historic monuments, museums,
religious temples and mosques were destroyed by Armenians. All of these have been
reflected in the report of OSCE`s fact-finding mission during the visit to
Nagorno-Karabakh and other occupied regions in 2005”.
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