Armenia rules out Turkey’s mediation on Garabagh
Turkey cannot co-chair the OSCE Minsk Group
brokering settlement to the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper
(Nagorno) Garabagh, Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian was
quoted by the local media as saying.
"This is ruled out. Both the country’s president and myself have repeatedly stated this," Nalbandian claimed in an interview with Armenia’s public TV channel.
He went on to say that Yerevan welcomes Iran’s initiative to broker peace talks, adding that it values Tehran’s balanced approach to the Garabagh conflict.
Azerbaijan has lately offered Turkey’s joining the Minsk Group, which is currently co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France. As for Tehran’s possible mediation, the Iranian government earlier said Baku had accepted its proposal, while Yerevan has not responded to it so far.
Commenting on Azerbaijan’s discontent with the conflict settlement process, Nalbandian claimed that, at times, Baku criticizes Yerevan, the Minsk Group co-chairing countries, the European Union and even Turkey, its close ally.
"Azerbaijan is trying to lay the blame for its failures on others and is looking for someone to blame, while the process of settling the Upper Garabagh conflict is proceeding by its natural course," Nalbandian alleged.
Commenting on the statement, Elkhan Polukhov, the spokesman for the Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry, said: "It would be better if, instead of advertising itself, the Armenian side approached the situation that has shaped up in negotiations with quite a clear mind and, at the same time, from a realistic viewpoint, and, having availed of this approach, would work to defuse tension that has emerged in the region."
Polukhov affirmed Baku’s intransigent stance, saying Armenia must primarily pull its armed forces from occupied Azerbaijani territory, thus allowing peace talks to move forward.*
"This is ruled out. Both the country’s president and myself have repeatedly stated this," Nalbandian claimed in an interview with Armenia’s public TV channel.
He went on to say that Yerevan welcomes Iran’s initiative to broker peace talks, adding that it values Tehran’s balanced approach to the Garabagh conflict.
Azerbaijan has lately offered Turkey’s joining the Minsk Group, which is currently co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France. As for Tehran’s possible mediation, the Iranian government earlier said Baku had accepted its proposal, while Yerevan has not responded to it so far.
Commenting on Azerbaijan’s discontent with the conflict settlement process, Nalbandian claimed that, at times, Baku criticizes Yerevan, the Minsk Group co-chairing countries, the European Union and even Turkey, its close ally.
"Azerbaijan is trying to lay the blame for its failures on others and is looking for someone to blame, while the process of settling the Upper Garabagh conflict is proceeding by its natural course," Nalbandian alleged.
Commenting on the statement, Elkhan Polukhov, the spokesman for the Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry, said: "It would be better if, instead of advertising itself, the Armenian side approached the situation that has shaped up in negotiations with quite a clear mind and, at the same time, from a realistic viewpoint, and, having availed of this approach, would work to defuse tension that has emerged in the region."
Polukhov affirmed Baku’s intransigent stance, saying Armenia must primarily pull its armed forces from occupied Azerbaijani territory, thus allowing peace talks to move forward.*
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