“The Armenian side gave its consent to the stage-by-stage regulation of Karabakh conflict and on removing the troops from the 7 regions adjacent to Karabakh during the coming years,” the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliev said yesterday, according to “Turan” agency, during the inauguration of the refugee dormitory in Raman village.
He said, “Information about the negotiation process, which the Armenian officials are spreading, is being presented to their society in a distorted form.” Aliev stated that the status of Nagorno Karabakh “can be discussed only in the framework of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.” Alongside this, Azerbaijan does not oppose the idea of placing peacekeepers on this territory, which actually is Armenia’s initiative. He added, “There exists a common agreement on returning the seven occupied regions of Azerbaijan by a step-by-step approach, after which the displaced Azeri population will unconditionally return to their native places.” At the same time, he says that both Armenia and the international mediators accepted these offers. Aliev stated “The status of Nagorno Karabakh can be discussed only in the framework of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.” According to Aliev, “Armenia violated the preliminary arrangement to keep the negotiation process on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution in confidence.” Armenian leaders on Friday shrugged off Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev’s claims that they have agreed to the liberation of all seven Azerbaijani districts surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh as part of a peace accord currently being discussed by the conflicting parties. Leaders of Armenia and Karabakh have repeatedly said that Lachin’s return to Azerbaijan is non-negotiable. They have also set additional conditions for Armenian withdrawal from Kelbajar, the Azerbaijani district sandwiched between Armenia and Karabakh. “I don’t know what goals the president of Azerbaijan is pursuing, but it is known to everyone that we have principles and those principles haven’t changed,” Prime Minister Serge Sarkisian told RFE/RL. “So take Aliev’s statements lightly.” “The statements relating to territorial concessions are untrue,” said Vahan Hovannisian, the deputy parliament speaker and a leader of the governing Armenian Revolutionary Federation. “This is not the first such case in his political career.” In his speech, Aliev also said that Karabakh’s status should be determined after the liberation of the Armenian-occpuied districts “within the framework of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.” “Those [Karabakh Armenians] that want independence should move to Armenia,” he said. The Minsk Group’s peace proposals seem to allow for international recognition of Karabakh’s secession from Azerbaijan by envisaging a referendum of self-determination in the Armenian-populated territory. The conflicting parties have yet to agree on the date and other practical modalities of the proposed vote.
According to A1+, the acting head of the communications department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vladimir Kararpetyan, says Aliev’s announcement is nothing new. Karapetyan said, “Aliev is trying to publicize the process of negotiations. In regard to Aliev’s frequent repetition of belligerent announcements, this means that he ignores international obligations.” Let’s also remind that the Minister of Foreign Affairs of RA, Vartan Oskanian announced that the sides are closer than ever to the resolution of the conflict.