Azernews.Az

BAKU – Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov has criticized Armenia’s stance on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, saying that Yerevan should "reassess values".

Azimov said in an interview with the Echo of Moscow radio station that Azerbaijan’s position aims to restore full control over Nagorno Karabakh, an Azerbaijani region that has been occupied by Armenian armed forces since a war in the early 1990s. "[And we aim] not just to restore the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, but to establish direct... control over the territory and its population," Azimov said.

He said Azerbaijan "has come to the middle of the bridge" and stated its readiness to show flexibility, referring to the different models of self-governance for the population of Nagorno Karabakh within Azerbaijan.

"We are ready for that and have come to the middle of the bridge. But Armenia has a hard-line position - Karabakh’s separation from Azerbaijan, and they are not hiding this and are talking about independence [of the region] all the time," he added.

Nagorno Karabakh and seven surrounding Azerbaijani regions have been occupied by Armenian armed forces since a ceasefire was signed in 1994. Ethnic Armenian separatists in Nagorno Karabakh, backed by Armenia, declared so-called independence in 1991, which has not been recognized by the international community. Peace talks, brokered by the United States, Russia and France through the OSCE Minsk Group, have been largely fruitless so far.

Azimov said that Armenia’s position put forward in the Karabakh settlement process is aimed not at preserving Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, with Karabakh being part of the country, "not at reintegration, but at disintegration".

"The fact the Armenian president has been saying that Azerbaijanis will not return to Karabakh.... illustrates that."

Azimov said Azerbaijanis’ returning to their homes in Nagorno Karabakh means restoration of the region's demographics, ensuring equality of the two communities in the region, and for Azerbaijan it is an "objective factor" to participate in the life of the region and its rehabilitation.

"We would like for them [the Armenians] to finally reassess their values and think about their gains and losses, and what they will gain in the future as a result of such actions."

Azimov said Baku was expecting that after such a re-evaluation, Yerevan would "come to the middle of the bridge too".

"This ‘happy medium’ implies Karabakh’s being part of Azerbaijan and at the same time maintaining close ties to Armenia and receiving international [security] guarantees. The population [of the region] will not be isolated, will be able to travel freely, and economic and cultural development will be ensured. But on the condition that Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity is not violated. This is the compromise solution we are offering. But when we are told that Karabakh will be separated from Azerbaijan, the situation gets complicated. The reason the [negotiating] process, namely, the Kazan meeting [of the Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders hosted by President Dmitry Medvedev], has not yielded any fruit, is that Azerbaijan is already in the middle of the bridge, while Armenia is unwilling to meet it half-way."