Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the Academy of State Border Service. He spoke of “borders”, “security” and “invaders”.

“Azerbaijan’s land and sea borders are protected at a proper level,” Aliyev said, adding that he had repeatedly visited the borders, met with personnel and familiarized himself with the situation. He also pledged to allocate more funds for border protection.

Ilham Aliyev also claimed that Azerbaijan will restore its territorial integrity. “All military structures are united under a command of the Supreme Commander and acting under his orders. At the right moment, all the military structures will act as a fist and will restore the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan,” he said.

According to tradition, Azerbaijani leader also reassured the attendees of the country’s military and economic potential. According to him, Azerbaijan is strengthening day after day. “Our financial resources and military expenditures are our budget priorities and are constantly increasing, as we live in time of war. War is not over. The first stage has been completed, ceasefire is maintained, but war continues. We must be ready at any moment to liberate our lands from the invaders,” he stated.

Aliyev also touched upon the resolution of the Karabakh conflict and, as usual, accused Yerevan of protracting the process. “We want the conflict to be resolved peacefully, through negotiations. Azerbaijan’s positions in the negotiations are strengthening,” Aliyev noted, adding that the Armenian side is jut trying to break off the negotiations. If the talks are ruined, military solution to the problem will be on the agenda, he concluded.