Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated that the country must be "ten times stronger" than Armenia "every day," explaining this by the need to maintain military superiority even after the initialing of a peace agreement between the two countries. He outlined his position on October 2 at the 8th Congress of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party in Baku.
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov spoke about the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh in an interview with Reuters. He stressed that Azerbaijan creates all conditions for ensuring the rights of ethnic Armenians. “They can receive education in their native language and preserve their culture if they integrate into Azerbaijani society, like other ethnic and religious minorities,” Bayramov said. He also said that it is quite possible to sign a peace agreement with Armenia before the end of this year, if the latter "takes certain practical steps, and not just makes statements."
The day before, PACE adopted a resolution on ensuring free and safe movement along the Lachin corridor in Karabakh. Yerevan accuses Baku of blocking communications. The resolution, among other things, emphasizes the need to urgently send an international fact-finding mission to the Lachin corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh.