YEREVAN (Azatutyun) — Armenia accused Azerbaijan over the weekend of misrepresenting the latest negotiations between the leaders of the two states and trying to torpedo Nagorno-Karabakh peace efforts.
It appeared to respond to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s claims that Yerevan is ready to negotiate and sign a peace treaty with Baku on his terms.
Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met in Brussels on Wednesday, August 31, for fresh talks hosted by European Council President Charles Michel. The latter said after the four-hour meeting that the two leaders agreed to intensify negotiations on the peace accord sought by Baku. The Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers will meet in September to “work on draft texts,” Michel added in a statement.
Visiting Italy on Friday, September 2, Aliyev said the planned talks on the agreement will be based on five elements which the Azerbaijani side presented to Yerevan in March this year. Those include a mutual recognition of each other’s territorial integrity, something which Baku believes would uphold its sovereignty over Karabakh.
“The Armenian prime minister accepted these principles. That was reaffirmed at our meeting in Brussels two days ago,” Aliyev told journalists. He expressed hope that the peace treaty will be signed within months.
Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan countered on Saturday that while “there is nothing unacceptable to us” in those principles they must be “complemented” by Yerevan’s own counterproposals relating to the future status of Karabakh and the security of its population.Ni“We are ready for continuing peace negotiations on this basis,” Mirzoyan said in written comments. “Prime Minister Pashinyan again made this clear during the latest discussion held in Brussels.”
