YEREVAN. – Ilham Aliyev’s statements come to prove why the international community should recognize the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh), Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia, Shavarsh Kocharyan, told Armenpress news agency.

When asked to comment on the Azerbaijan president’s most recent statement, in which he presented territorial claims toward Armenia, Kocharyan responded: “Unconcealed claims of Azerbaijan towards the territories of Armenia openly prove why the international community should recognize the independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh, whereas Azerbaijan should bear international accountability for the military aggression [it] unleashed against the self-determined Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, and its consequences.”