Question: As reported in the Baku newspaper, 525, Azerbaijan’s FM Mamadyarov has announced that the Azerbaijani side is waiting for a response from Yerevan on the continuation of the Nagorno Karabakh peace process, since according to the Azerbaijani official, Armenian President Robert Kocharian had asked for a pause “in order to analyze the meetings that had taken place and on the exchange of opinions between the heads of the two foreign ministries.” The head of Azerbaijan’s foreign office had also announced that all foregoing negotiations that had been carried out were all directed at how “Armenia would relinquish the seven occupied regions surrounding Nagorno Karabakh.” Are these statements correct?

Answer: We have repeatedly said, and we will say so again, that despite Azerbaijan’s wishes or statements, Armenia’s focus during negotiations is on the issue of the status of Nagorno Karabakh. All other issues are tangential to the status issue and Armenia views them only in the context of the future status of NK. Aside from status, any other individual or specific issue which Azerbaijan wishes to address singly and apart from the entirety – such as territories, refugees, IDPs, or unfounded charges such as those they are currently trying to put forth at the UN – all these, Azerbaijan must discuss and resolve directly with Nagorno Karabakh. The Republic of Armenia is interested only in a comprehensive resolution of this issue and its participation in negotiations is conditional on that approach.

As to the pause in the negotiations, both presidents agreed to take time to consider the issues which were raised. On the matters which are of interest to Armenia, we have not yet received a response from Azerbaijan.