Ilham Aliyev: Armenia conducted urbicide on occupied territories in 90s, was not sanctioned

Armenia committed urbicide against Azerbaijan in the 1990s, but no sanctions were imposed against it, President Ilham Aliyev said during his speech at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Annual Meetings of the Islamic Development Bank Group, Report informs.

"Our lands were occupied in the beginning of the 1990s, that created a humanitarian catastrophe. We had 1 million refugees and internally displaced persons in the beginning of the 1990s. At that time, our population was 8 million, so one in eight was a refugee, homeless, jobless, without any means for living. That was a real humanitarian catastrophe, and we were left alone. Armenia, which committed war crimes, the Khojaly genocide, destroyed our cities and villages, conducted urbicide on the occupied territories, was not sanctioned," he noted.

"Today we hear about sanctions-sanctions, sanctions-we hear every day. As soon as something happens, immediately sanctions are imposed, but no one imposed sanctions on Armenia, and this is a clear demonstration of double standards, a clear demonstration of the difference between proclaimed so-called values and real politics," he added.