Azernews.Az

BAKU – The presidents’ talks on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict held with Russia’s mediation last week showed that "Armenia should be talked to more toughly", an Azerbaijani presidential aide has said.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev hosted Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenia’s Serzh Sargsyan in the Volga city of Kazan last Friday. Prior to the meeting, both the mediating countries and the conflict parties made statements urging to sign an agreement on the basic principles of the conflict settlement during the summit. But such a document was not signed, and the parties even traded accusations after the meeting.

Presidents Aliyev and Sargsyan said in a joint statement after the summit that they had reached "mutual understanding" on a range of issues that contribute to fostering conditions for approving the Basic Principles, a roadmap for resolving the two-decade conflict proposed by mediators from the United States, France and Russia.

Ali Hasanov, head of the Azerbaijani presidential administration's social and political affairs department, said "you can’t talk about success" at the Kazan meeting.

"The Armenian president’s approach to the issue and his non-constructive stance showed that the Armenian government either is not ready to resolve the Nagorno Karabakh conflict in line with international law or doesn’t want to resolve it," Hasanov said. "This once again indicated to the presidents of the United States, France and Russia, to the [Minsk Group] co-chairs representing the three countries…that we need to talk to this country in a tougher language, put more pressure on it, and put forward the norms of international law more decisively."

Hasanov, who took part in the Kazan meeting, added that Yerevan’s lack of "sincerity and constructivism" prevented negotiations from moving from "the dead point".

Azerbaijan and Armenia waged a brutal war in the early 1990s. About 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory, including Nagorno Karabakh, has been under the occupation of Armenian armed forces since a fragile ceasefire was signed in 1994.

The Basic Principles for the conflict settlement, dubbed the Madrid Document, are the basis for the ongoing peace talks. The document covers the return of the territories surrounding Nagorno Karabakh to Azerbaijani control; determining the final legal status of Nagorno Karabakh; a corridor linking Armenia to the region; and the right of all IDPs to return to their homes.