Yerevan in every way impedes Karabakh settlement - I.Aliyev

Baku /05.03.19/Turan: The situation around the Karabakh settlement was discussed today at a meeting of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev with the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Laicak.

Aliyev noted the importance of Laichak"s visit to discuss the situation in the region and resolve the Karabakh conflict.

Laichak noted that mediation in the Karabakh settlement is one of the priorities during his OSCE chair.

Ilham Aliyev stressed that Azerbaijan is the most interested party in the settlement, since its territories are occupied, and more than 1 million Azerbaijanis have become refugees and internally displaced persons.

Despite the dynamic of the negotiation process, reflected in the four meetings of the foreign ministers of the two countries, as well as the three meetings of the Azerbaijani President and Prime Minister of Armenia, "Yerevan does not demonstrate a serious desire to conduct substantive negotiations and is trying hard to prevent the Karabakh settlement," said Aliyev.

"It is very important that the international community put serious pressure on Yerevan to achieve progress in the negotiations and ensure the withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan," the president stressed.

During the meeting other issues on the OSCE agenda, prospects for the development of relations between Azerbaijan and Slovakia were also discussed. -06D--