Return of NKR territories occupied by Azerbaijan is compromise for Armenia

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan said that Azerbaijan should display a constructive stance, so that there are chances for the Karabakh conflict settlement.

According to him, a progress is conditioned by the parties’ readiness to a constructive dialogue. Armenia and NKR have done their utmost for a progress based on compromises, now the ball is with Baku.

“It would have been fair, if it was demanded from Azerbaijan that it return the occupied territories of NKR prior to negotiations, what has not been done. Meanwhile, this is the compromise. The return of these territories would mean rejection of the attempts to solve the problem through force. Besides, there was no demand to recognize NKR’s independence. To save the face of the Azerbaijani authorities, the mediators offered the so-called “delayed referendum”, the results of which are binding for all the parties,” said Kocharyan.

He added that Azerbaijan continuously speaks about use of force, what does not scare the Armenian sides at all. “Baku interprets the principle of nation’s right to self-determination unusually, sees Karabakh only within Azerbaijan’s composition and speaks about territorial integrity in its vision,” said Kocharyan.

He added that Baku persistently tries to discredit the OSCE Minsk Group and transfer the problem to other institutions, the Public Television of Armenia reported.