ITAR-TASS, Russia
January 14, 2013 Monday 03:53 PM GMT+4
Azeri, Armenian FMs, Minsk Group to meet in Paris Jan 28
BAKU January 14
– The Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia will meet the
Russian, American and French co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group in
Paris on January 28, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov
said.
Speaking at a press conference after Monday’s talks with Norwegian
counterpart Espen Barth Eide, Mamedyarov said the final format of the
meeting, which would focus on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement, had not
been determined.
He said this was related to the fact that international mediators had
not submitted their proposals on this issue yet.
Commenting on Azerbaijan’s position on the resettlement of Armenian
refugees for Nagorno-Karabakh from Syria, Mamedyarov said, “We
consider this step illegitimate.” He noted that Azerbaijan riveted
attention to this problem and exercised control over it.
The foreign minister stressed that amid the occupation of
Nagorno-Karabakh by Armenia and adjacent regions the work of a new
airport in Khankendi (Stepanakert) “violates the norms of
international law”. “The airport itself does not represent a big
problem. But it can be used for humanitarian purposes. This problem
should be the part of working out a big plan on the Karabakh
settlement. If Armenia wants to use this airport, let it withdraw its
troops from the occupied Azerbaijani territories,” he explained.
The Norwegian foreign minister said Armenia’s flights over the
occupied Azerbaijani territories “are illegal and can damage the
Karabakh settlement”. “Flights over the occupied territories should
not be made. This issue should be considered within the OSCE Minsk
Group,” Eide said.
He urged the parties to refrain from any provocations.