FM: Armenia must understand importance of resolving conflict for development of region

TCaught in a semi-blockade position, Armenia took the path of militarization of society. The atmosphere of fear and danger of resuming the war became the determining factor in the republic development, which naturally affected its investment unattractiveness.

Armenia should understand that resolving the conflict is beneficial for the development of the entire region, said the head of the press service of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, Leyla Abdullayeva, at a meeting with Italian journalists in Baku.

She considers that the declaration adopted on the NagornoKarabakh conflict settlement during the Italian presidency of the OSCE opened the way to the current intensive negotiations to resolve the ongoing conflict for many years.

Abdullayeva declared this, referring to the joint declaration adopted in Milan when the meeting of the Council of Ministers was held as part of the conclusion of the Italian presidency of the OSCE in December 2018.

She stressed that Azerbaijan has a complex geostrategic position, which, of course, affects national foreign policy.

Abdullayeva told about the occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijani territories, including NagornoKarabakh, as a result of the conflict, and the problem of more than a million refugees and internally displaced people living away from their ancestral lands.

"Our goal is to achieve the return of our occupied territories by maximizing the development of th country," said Abdullayeva.

If Armenia understood that as a result of the withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territories, the whole region would develop even more, then all the strategic infrastructure and energy projects in the Caucasus would become even more functional, she believes.

As to the intensification of talks between Baku and Armenia for the Nagorno-Karabakh problem settlement, Abullyeva stressed that in January 2019, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov met with Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan in the 2 + 3 format (Azerbaijan and Armenia + co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group) and parties reached an agreement to continue the negotiations in February.

Abdullayeva noted the need to proceed discussions and that the new meeting will become important for a mutual understanding of positions.

She noted that each side agrees that the format of bilateral negotiations consists of two official sides Armenia and Azerbaijan. Baku’s position on this issue is clear.

“The illegal structure created in Nagorno-Karabakh is not recognized by any country in the world, not even Armenia itself. Azerbaijan only wants to respect its territorial integrity,” she added.

Abdullayeva noted that the conflict solution is possible only after the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the territories of Azerbaijan, including NagornoKarabakh, and by providing a high autonomy status to the region within Azerbaijan.

She also brought to the attention another positive result obtained during the last meeting in Paris. The head of the press service noted that both governments consider it necessary to prepare the population of both countries for peace.

“Of course, the conflict is not easy to resolve, but internationally recognized borders of all countries must be respected,” Abdullayeva concluded.