Azerbaijan's negotiating on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is biggest concession
By Rashid Shirinov
Azerbaijan’s continuation of negotiations on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict for 25 years despite the Armenian occupation is the biggest concession, Spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Hikmat Hajiyev said at a press conference on July 23.
He was commenting on the recent statement of the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
Hajiyev noted that first of all, the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani lands must be eliminated.
“During his recent press conference, Pashinyan said that Armenia will inform about the concessions on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement only after Azerbaijan does it,” the spokesman reminded.
“In order to achieve a political solution to the conflict, first of all, the occupation must be stopped and the status quo must be changed. If Armenia is interested in resolving the conflict, it must end the occupation and fulfill the UN Security Council resolutions,” Hajiyev said.
The spokesman added that only on such grounds a favorable environment for the resolution of the conflict can be obtained.
Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions from Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million were displaced as a result of the war.
Large-scale hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire in 1994 but Armenia continued the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal.
Unfortunately, peace talks mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. within the OSCE Minsk Group have produced no tangible results so far due to Armenia's unconstructive position on the issue.
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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov
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