ArmInfo.Baku reacted to Yerevan's statement about the need for direct participation of Artsakh in the negotiations on the Karabakh settlement.
Thus, the head of the press service of the Azeri Foreign Ministry, Hikmet Hajiyev, hastened once again to accuse Armenia of destructivism. Baku is convinced that the Republic of Armenia is the party to the conflict that carries international legal responsibility.
Tigran Balayan, spokesman for the Armenian Foreign Ministry, stated at a press conference that Armenia believes that the Karabakh conflict should be settled exclusively by peaceful means, based on the proposals of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, as well as in the implementation of the agreements reached after April aggression. Speaking about Artsakh's involvement in the settlement of the conflict, Balayan recalled that Stepanakert is involved in the settlement process, there are many documents fixing this. "The question is that Azerbaijan has rejected direct negotiations with Artsakh for years, I would like to remind you that the main result of the conflict settlement, the agreement on the ceasefire of 1994 was the result of direct contacts between Azerbaijan and Artsakh. The then President of Artsakh Robert Kocharyan met Azeri President Heydar Aliyev, there was direct correspondence and there is relevant documentation. Our task today is that the Azeri authorities, who since 2003 negotiate on behalf of Azerbaijan, was clearly aware that only direct negotiations with Artsakh will allow us to reach a long-lasting peace. Yes, we as Armenia, and as a guarantor of the security of Artsakh, will continue to participate in the talks," he said.