Azernews.Az

President Ilham Aliyev has warned Azerbaijan would alter its position on the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict if Armenia fails to relinquish its ongoing occupation of a part of the neighboring country’s territory or "imitates" peace talks.
"If the Armenian side seeks to continue its policy of occupation and keep on negotiating as a process of imitation, Azerbaijan will make significant changes to its position," President Aliyev said in an interview with Azerbaijani TV channels on a visit to Turkey on Tuesday.
Aliyev said Yerevan has failed to say "either ‘yes’ or ‘no’" to the updated version of the OSCE Madrid principles, an outline for Garabagh settlement proposed by the international mediators, calling on the countries mediating the peace process "to resolutely say their piece" at this time.
"We have repeatedly stated that Azerbaijan agrees with the updated Madrid principles in principle. True, there are some points in those proposals that could not satisfy us, but they are mostly of technical and rectification nature. Overall, if we look at those principles, the renewed Madrid document reflects issues of restoring Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and the return of the people suffering from occupation to their native lands."
The conflict between the two South Caucasus republics flared up in the late 1980s due to Armenia's territorial claims. Armenia has been occupying over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory since the early 1990s. The ceasefire accord was signed in 1994, but years of peace talks have brought few tangible results. The Minsk Group co-chairs representing the United States, Russia and France initially proposed a peace outline on settling the conflict in the Spanish capital in November 2007. In Athens in November 2009, the updated version of the Madrid Document was submitted to the sides. The Madrid Document covers "the return of the territories surrounding Upper Garabagh to Azerbaijani control" and a future determination of the legal status of Upper Garabagh "through a legally binding expression of will" and the right of "internally displaced persons and refugees to return to their former places of residence." Azerbaijan stated that it accepts the renewed Madrid principles early this year, while the Armenian stance remains unclear.
President Aliyev said that if all sides involved are interested in further peace talks, steps should be taken to move the process forward. But if this does not happen or the Armenian tactics of dragging out time persists, and if the Madrid document is formally rejected by the opposing side, Azerbaijan should begin seriously contemplating the prospect of its further involvement in negotiations and the peace process as a whole.
"I have repeatedly said that we will not take part in negotiations for the sake of imitation. Azerbaijan will participate in talks only as long as we have hope for a result. Otherwise, the issue will come out of the frozen state and enter a different realm. And there is no secret here, it is the military option. A solution of the issue militarily has never been ruled out and it is not ruled out today, either."
Aliyev added that Azerbaijan was expecting the Minsk Group co-chairing countries to substantially influence Armenia.*