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    Categories: 2018

Azerbaijani Press: Baku rejects Karabakh’s involvement in peace talks

APA, Azerbaijan
Baku rejects Karabakh's involvement in peace talks

[Armenian News note: the below is translated from the Azeri edition of APA]

Azerbaijan has rejected Armenia's claims that breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh was listed as a full party to the conflict in some international documents.

"The Minsk group was set up by a decision of the OSCE Helsinki Ministerial Council in 1992 and Armenia and Azerbaijan were recognised as parties to the conflict, whereas Nagorno-Karabakh's Armenian and Azeri communities were recognised as interested parties," APA news agency quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Hikmat Haciyev as saying on 22 May.

Haciyev was responding to his Armenian counterpart Tigran Balayan's remarks that Karabakh is a full party to the conflict and its participation in the peace talks is necessary in order to find a solution to the conflict.

Haciyev went on to say that it was Armenia that seized Azerbaijani territories, including Nagorno-Karabakh.

"A party to the conflict is the Republic of Armenia, which bears responsibility under the international legal norms for the use of force against Azerbaijan and for the military occupation of Azerbaijani territories. Azerbaijan's biggest concession is that it has been holding talks with Armenia, the aggressor state, for 25 years," Haciyev said.

"The Republic of Armenia bears full responsibility for the continuing violations of international legal norms as it started and is continuing aggression against Azerbaijan, has occupied our country's internationally recognised territories, has its armed forces present in the occupied territories, and is responsible for the expulsion of hundreds of thousands Azerbaijani nationals from the occupied territories," he said.

Haciyev went on to say that the new Armenian leadership should withdraw Armenian troops from Azerbaijani territories, a step which would facilitate reaching a lasting peace.

Emil Lazarian: “I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS