Markov: President Ilham Aliyev is one of the top leaders

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is one of the top leaders, Russian political scientist, director of the Center for Political Research Sergei Markov said.

He spoke during an online roundtable dedicated to the year's results in Russian-Azerbaijani relations and the role of President Ilham Aliyev in the development of modern Azerbaijan.

In particular, he noted that after almost 30 years of non-compliance by Armenia with the UN Security Council resolutions, the President of Azerbaijan personally ensured the return of the occupied territories and demonstrated the full strength of the Azerbaijani army.

"The Azerbaijani army has shown excellent examples of fighting," Markov said, noting that the liberation of Shusha by the Azerbaijani army along the sheer cliffs is an indicator of this.

The political scientist added that now one of the crucial tasks is the full implementation of the provisions of the November 9 statement, in particular, ensuring security.

Markov also stressed the friendly ties between the presidents of Azerbaijan and Russia and their contribution to the development of relations between the two countries. In particular, he noted the role of the Russian language in Azerbaijan, and the positive attitude towards ethnic Russians in the country:

"Ethnic Russians are not subjected to any discrimination in Azerbaijan. Instead, they occupy various positions," he said.