Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry's Response to Lavrov's Statement in Yerevan

Baku / 11.11.19 / Turan: The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has responded to a statement by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the Karabakh settlement made in Yerevan on November 11.

It is impossible to reach agreement on a Nagorno-Karabakh settlement without the consent of the population of this region, in particular, Lavrov said, following the talks with Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan.

“... And everyone understands that without the consent of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, no agreements will be possible to issue. Armenia simply will not support them,” he said further.

It should be noted that from the very start of the negotiation process within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group, Azerbaijan and Armenia were recognized as parties to the conflict, and the Armenian and Azerbaijani communities of the Nagorno-Karabakh region were recognized as interested parties.

As the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Leyla Abdullayeva emphasized when commenting on Lavrov’s statement, “the Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of our country is an integral part of any proposed plan to resolve the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.”

“I want to emphasize once again that only the return of Azerbaijanis expelled from this region to their homes in Nagorno-Karabakh can open up real possibilities for resolving the conflict on the basis of a high status of self-government, providing for joint living in peace and security of both Azerbaijani and Armenian communities in the borders of the Republic of Azerbaijan,” Abdullayeva emphasized.

 For this, she added, first of all, substantive negotiations should be held to resolve the conflict, and the withdrawal of the occupying forces of Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions of Azerbaijan should be ensured. —06В-