Aliyev Threatens ‘New Military Confrontation’ With Armenia

President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan threatened “new military confrontation” with Armenia, if Yerevan continues to refuse to amend its Constitution, which the Azerbaijani leader claims contains territorial demands from his country.

“Until a peace treaty is signed and Armenia completely renounces all territorial claims against Azerbaijan, which are still present in its constitution, and demonstrates sincerity in its behavior towards normalizing relations with Azerbaijan, the risk of a new military confrontation will always persist,” Aliyev said during an address at an international conference in Baku.

The statement comes as Azerbaijan continues its daily accusations of Armenian military buildup along the border between the two countries. The Armenian Defense Ministry also continues to deny Baku’s allegation, saying that it is another provocation from Azerbaijan.

Despite its assurances, however, residents of Armenia’s Syunik Province continue to report nightly gunfire directed at their villages.

The back and forth between Baku and Yerevan has prompted Moscow to urge both countries to refrain from escalation along the border.

“We reaffirm our call on Baku and Yerevan to show restraint, take steps to de-escalate tension, avoid any actions that could lead to a worsening of the situation,” Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said during a press briefing on Wednesday, adding that Russia continues to monitor the situation along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.

During his speech on Wednesday, Aliyev doubled down on his threats, but claimed that he was ready to take confidence-building steps, despite his ongoing demands from Armenia.

“I have repeatedly stated publicly what we expect from Armenia regarding our territorial integrity and their constitution. When this is done and a peace agreement is signed, there will be no obstacle for the South Caucasus to try to become an integrated region,” he said, “Toward a New World Order.”

The Azerbaijani leader went on to say that Armenia’s “occupation and aggression” has deprived Yerevan of an opportunity to achieve real independence, as well as a chance to become a transit country and reap the benefits of such a position.