Interfax, Russia
July 9 2009
Upcoming Aliyev-Sargsyan meeting should show whether progress on
Karabakh possible – Azeri foreign minister
BAKU July 9
An upcoming meeting in Moscow between Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan will show whether progress is
possible at negotiations on Nagorno-Karabakh, said Azeri Foreign
Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.
"Nagorno-Karabakh is an integral part of Azerbaijan, and it is wrong
that some part of our country remains uncontrollable and has uncertain
status," Mammadyarov said.
"Therefore, we have given our tentative consent to determining this
status. It is a question when this will take place and on what
circumstances," he said.
At the same time, Nagorno-Karabakh’s status cannot be determined until
Azeris who used to live there return home, Mammadyarov said.
"This is part of the negotiations. The exiled Azeris must return to
the territories freed from occupation, and their joint coexistence
with Armenians should be arranged. The status should be determined
primarily with Azerbaijan’s interests taken into account. We have said
repeatedly that the right to self-determination does not mean that
territorial integrity can be violated," he said.
Baku expects the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group to visit the
country and inform it on Armenia’s position on the settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh problem.