Yerevan /Mediamax/. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that Armenia’s “rapid armament” is hindering the achievement of lasting peace between the two countries.

“The deep-rooted hatred among the Armenian society toward our people, dreams of a mythical “great Armenia”, the territorial claims toward Azerbaijan still maintained in the Armenian Constitution and the rapid armament of this country are hindering the achievement of lasting peace between the two countries,” Aliyev said in his address to the participants of the conference “Right to Return: Ensuring Justice for Azerbaijanis Forcibly Expelled from Armenia.”

Ilham Aliyev noted that Armenia is trying to present the activity of the “Western Azerbaijan Community” as a threat to its territorial integrity.

“However, the aim of the Community is to ensure the dignified return of our exiled compatriots from Western Azerbaijan to their ancestral lands in peace and security. This is strictly a human rights issue,” he stated.

Aliyev noted that the “Western Azerbaijan Community has repeatedly called on the Armenian government for dialogue, but the opposite side has refused.”

“Armenia should begin negotiations with the Community and take practical steps towards restoring the fundamental rights of Western Azerbaijanis,” he said.