Azernews.Az

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan's anti-Azerbaijani statements are related to the election campaign and aimed at collecting votes, the deputy head of the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan, head of the foreign relations department Novruz Mammadov said on Sunday, commenting on the statement of the Armenian president against Azerbaijan in Yerevan, Trend news agency reported.

"Unfortunately, the government of Armenia uses people to their advantage," Mammadov said.

"This statement of Sargsyan shows that he uses the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as a tool for staying in power, and therefore blames Azerbaijan for everything. However, the international community and some Armenian circles understand that the responsibility for the conflict lies with Yerevan," he noted.

Mammadov added that Azerbaijan seeks to resolve the conflict peacefully and demonstrates it to the global community.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France and the U.S. - are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.