«The US should understand and Armenia should remember that the Azerbaijani state will not only disagree with partition of its lands, but will also prevent it,» stated Azeri Deputy FM Araz Azimov. In his words, the US comes for soonest settlement of the conflict and is ready to activate efforts to that end. «Azerbaijan comes for joint peaceful residence of the Armenian and Azeri communities in Nagorno Karabakh and providing corresponding guarantees to them. I am sure Azerbaijan will attain it at a certain stage, as there is no other way,» stated the Azeri Deputy FM.
At that in Azimov’s words, Azerbaijan is ready to display the corresponding flexibility in settlement of the conflict. «I say it also addressing my compatriots – the Armenian community living in Nagorno Karabakh should have self-government within certain limits. The Armenian party says political forces of Azerbaijan are for expelling Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh from the region. This is not so. We never objected to Armenians of NK living in this region as Azeri citizens. Just the contrary, we believe those people should have corresponding social, public and political liberties, which should be ensured to them,» he said.
«The Azeri community should return to NK without fail,» Azimov said. «We are ready to shift from as a firm stand as non-recognition of Armenians’ rights to a moderate position of ensuring their rights. Thus, Armenia and Azerbaijan can reach a consensus. Calling it in a certain way is premature now and is not important. The important thing is that territorial integrity of Azerbaijan should be restored and Armenians’ rights should be ensured,» he said. In Azimov’s words, these issues were discussed with US Co-Chair of the OSCE MG Steven Mann in Washington, Trend reports.
As an NKR MFA representative earlier told PanARMENIAN.Net when commenting of statements of the Azeri FM, Karabakh authorities have always come for NKR’s participation in the talks over settlement of the conflict without preconditions. «NKR citizens have never been and will never be Azerbaijan’s citizens. The Azeri MFA makes statements for domestic use and these do not reflect the actual state of affairs in the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict,» the NKR MFA representative underscored.
