- What is the current situation with Armenia? Fatal clashes broke out at the border between the two countries less than a month ago.

- The situation is relatively stable. The situation in the zone of the responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping contingent stationed in the Karabakh region is more stable than on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. Unfortunately, Armenia has not given up its revanchist attempts. The defeat in the Second Karabakh War was very painful for them; it was detrimental to their ideological basis and propaganda, which for almost 30 years kept repeating about the invincibility of the army, about the strength and courage of their soldiers and commanders. During the 44-day war, the Armenian army was completely destroyed.

- What can we expect from your planned meetings in Brussels?

- It is difficult to say something because we have to see what the results of the Brussels meeting will be. Azerbaijan’s position is open and clear. We want peace. We don’t want war. We have won the war, we are the winners, and this reality must be taken into account. The Karabakh conflict has already been resolved. There is no need for any discussions about the status of Nagorno-Karabakh or something similar. We ourselves have solved this problem by our might and political means. We have implemented the relevant UN Security Council resolutions unilaterally 27 years after they were passed.

- What are your expectations from Armenia?

- Armenia should refrain from any hostile actions and territorial claims. It should work towards a peace agreement and act properly in the 21st century. In any case, we are neighbors, and none of us is going to fly to another planet. We must learn to live side by side and gradually pave the way for normalization, including people-to-people contacts. We have openly declared our readiness for this. But so far we have not received any positive signals. It seems that the domestic situation in Armenia and, to put it mildly, frustration and disappointment after losing the war, triggered a kind of psychological trauma in society due to overestimated expectations and an unrealistic assessment of the military-political potential.

- What is your analysis of the current gas crisis in Europe? How can Europe overcome it?

- I don’t know the reason for the current gas price crisis if you can call it that. To be honest, I'm not interested in this. We did our job: we attracted multi-billion dollar investments in the oil and gas sector, working on one of the main infrastructure projects of the 21st century - the Southern Gas Corridor, which was completed on the last day of 2020. Since then, we have started our exports to Europe. Therefore, I think that we have huge natural gas reserves. We have a shorter transport route compared to traditional natural gas supplies to Europe. Our gas is new to European markets because, as you said, production in the EU and some non-EU countries is declining. We all know that the demand for natural gas in Europe will grow due to the decisions taken by some states regarding their energy strategy. Here Azerbaijan [positions itself] as a reliable partner, as a friend of Europe and as a country that has already completed all infrastructure work: imagine 3,500 kilometers of a gas pipeline from Baku to Italy, part of which runs by sea. Everything is ready, gas is supplied. The only thing we have to do is to work closely with the European Commission and with the EU member states, with those who want to receive more gas from us or with those who want to receive new gas from us and start negotiations.

- During your talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, did he express concern that the new corridor is an alternative to Russian gas?

- Honestly, I can say that we have never discussed this issue. We meet regularly several times a year and talk on the phone all the time, but he never brought it up. The issue of competition is greatly exaggerated and politicized for no reason. Our gas supplies cannot compete with Russian gas.

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