ArmInfo. The statement by Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is surprising and regrettable, Hikmat Hajiyev, spokesman for Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry told APA on Friday.
Hikmat Hajiyev said that the statement by Ushakov is contrary to the spirit of the Vienna and St. Petersburg meetings of the presidents and the statements of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, voiced repeatedly at the presidential level, unacceptability and unsustainability of the status-quo. The spokesman added that this statement does not correspond to conducted detailed discussions on the resolution of the conflict during the intensive visits of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to the region. "Azerbaijan has repeatedly stated that according to the spirit of the Vienna and St. Petersburg meetings of the presidents, it supports substantive talks towards a phased settlement of the conflict. The substantive talks should ensure changing the status-quo, which is unacceptable, and unsustainable and the withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan," APA quotes Hajiyev as saying. He stressed that Azerbaijan will ensure its territorial integrity and sovereignty within its internationally recognized borders.
To recall, on October 13, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov told journalists that Moscow is not so optimistic about the Karabakh conflict settlement in the nearest future, however it will continue working with Yerevan and Baku. At the same time, he refrained from going into details of negotiations, noting that a lot of models and proposals are being discussed. "But I would like to repeat that there are no grounds for optimism", he said.
Earlier Baku expressed similar amazement and indignation at US Secretary of State John Kerry's statement that the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan are not prepared for the settlement of the Karabakh conflict.