Azernews.Az

BAKU - The Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers will discuss the liberation of the Armenia-occupied Lachin and Kalbajar regions of Azerbaijan during the upcoming OSCE ministerial in Almaty next week.
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said the meeting will take place either on July 16 or 17. "The OSCE co-chairs have not specified the date yet," he said.
According to Mammadyarov, negotiations with Armenia are underway on the basis of the updated Madrid principles, a peace outline proposed by the international mediators.
"We have been discussing some of these principles during the past six years and now it makes no sense to get back to them," Mammadyarov said.
At a meeting between the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents held in the Russian town of Sochi last January, the mediating OSCE Minsk Group proposed an updated version of the Madrid Document to the conflicting sides, which serves as a basis for the ongoing peace talks.
Baku has already generally accepted the Madrid principles, but the Minsk Group has yet to receive Yerevan’s decision.
The Azerbaijani foreign minister said he intended to discuss the terms of a withdrawal of Armenian troops from the occupied Lachin and Kalbajar regions with his Armenian counterpart.
"Historically, the Lachin and Kalbajar regions of Azerbaijan have never been part of Armenia. But today, their return is at stake," Mammadyarov said.
Concerning the liberation of other occupied regions surrounding the breakaway Upper Garabagh, Mammadyarov said the issue has already been agreed on and will no longer be discussed. According to him, the Armenian withdrawal from these regions will start immediately after the signing of a peace accord, while Kalbajar and Lachin must be returned within five years thereafter.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries over Upper Garabagh started back in 1988, when Armenia leveled territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Following a lengthy war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including Upper Garabagh and seven regions surrounding it.
The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs - Russia, France, and the United States - have been brokering the peace process between the conflicting parties since a ceasefire agreement was signed in 1994.
Armenia is still to enforce the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions demanding unconditional liberation of the occupied Azerbaijani territories.
Regarding future determination of Upper Garabagh’s status, Mammadyarov said Armenia supports holding a referendum, while Azerbaijan says that, under its Constitution, a referendum must be held in the country’s entire territory.
"But we also have a public opinion poll and it has legal force. In order to determine Upper Garabagh’s status, the Azerbaijani community [of the region] has to state its position, along with the Armenian community."
Mammadyarov noted, further, that according to the principles being discussed between the sides, an ad hoc committee will be established to conduct an opinion poll.
"Along with the Azerbaijani and Armenian representatives, the Minsk Group co-chair countries will be represented in the committee. It will discuss – based on a consensus – what questions will be put in the survey and how it will be held."
The minister said, however, that holding such a poll might be possible during later stages in the peace process, "because there is no way this can be done now".
"Ethnic cleansing was carried out there [in the occupied territories]. Azerbaijanis have to return there. And, once they have gone back, it is not possible to hold a referendum at the point of an AK submachine gun. For this, stability and democratic environment is to be created there."
Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Savarsh Kocharian has refuted Mammadyarov’s statement that the return of the Lachin and Kalbajar regions to Azerbaijan will be discussed at the Almaty ministerial.
"The Azerbaijani foreign minister is presenting his wishes as truth," he claimed, as reported by Arminfo news agency.
"So long as Azerbaijan does not agree to recognize Garabagh’s status, in line with the will of the Garabagh people, a pullout of Garabagh forces from any region is out of the question," Kocharian alleged.