BAKU (APA)–Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said Tuesday that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution process should continue based on existing proposals outlined in what is now being referred to as the Madrid Principles.
The Foreign Minister said that during a meeting with his Armenian counterpart Eduard Nalbandian prior to last week’s meeting of Armenian and Azeri presidents, the sides urged the co-chairs to coordinate the principles with the both sides, since according to the Azeri foreign minister, Armenia’s authorities had put forth new factors in the process.
“Although the position of the new Armenian authorities does not differ from the previous administration, there are new nuances,” said Mammadyarov stressing that the negotiations should continue based on the Madrid proposals.
He also announced that the co-chairs had discussed the proposals with Armenia adding that time was needed to coordinate those proposals.
Mammadyarov also added that Azerbaijan was looking for a quick resolution to the conflict, emphasizing that for his country, the continuation of the current stalemate was unacceptable.
“I say to my Armenian counterparts that you cannot escape occupying our lands, you should pursue a neighborhood policy, which also coincides with your national interests. I want to believe that if Armenia understands this, we will achieve peace and stability in the near future,” said Mammadyarov.
The Azeri foreign minister said that advocating for a peaceful resolution to the conflict, as well as Azerbaijan’s willingness to hold discussions on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh were the compromises the Azeri side was making in order to advance the peace negotitations.
“We support the status of Nagorno Karabakh only within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. We are ready to continue the negotiations. I repeatedly have told the Armenian side to work on the models of other autonomous regions in the world. If you prefer we can take the model of Tataristan," explained Mammadyarov.
"Armenian troops should be withdrawn from Karabakh, displaced people should return home and stability, economic development and communication should be provided at first for the solution of the conflict. Only after that we can proceed to the discussion of Karabakh’s status,” he added.
The Azeri foreign minister said while his country supported the OSCE Minsk Group process, he emphasized the importance of sustainable international attention to the conflict.
“Therefore Azerbaijan is always raising the Nagorno Karabakh issue in the UN, Council of Europe, Organization of Islamic Conference and other organizations and will continue to do so. The international community should be informed about the ongoing process. If there will be significant progress in the negotiations we can move to any format,” added Mammadyarov
He also stated that Armenia’s living in Nagorno Karabakh are the citizens of Azerbaijan
“Armenia’s living there can also take advantage of the economic development of the country as the citizens of Azerbaijan,” he added.
Meanwhile in Athens, where a summit of parliamentary leaders of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization is taking place, Azeri Parliament Speaker Oktay Asadov declared that the unsolved Nagorno Karabakh conflict posed a threat not only to the South Caucasus, but also the Black See Region and the entire world.
“The unresolved Karabakh conflict hampers the development of our country and creates a threat to the peace and stability all over the world,” he noted. The Azeri Parliament Speaker declared that official Baku wanted to resolve the conflict based on the principles of international law.
