Settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is impossible without Armenian withdrawal - Azerbaijani foreign minister

Settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is impossible without withdrawal of Armenian forces from the occupied territories, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said in an interview with Trend.

Withdrawal is part of the updated Madrid Principles, which Armenia does not refer to with responsibility, the minister says. He pointed out that the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents and foreign ministers met in 2011 to negotiate the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. Mammadyarov blamed Armenia for scuppering the negotiations.

Concerning platforms for settling the conflict, the foreign minister noted that Azerbaijan will doubtlessly raise the topic as a member of the UN Security Council in 2012. The UN Security Council has already passed four resolutions, and the European Parliament, CE and OIC have passed their own resolutions, neglected by Armenia. The world community should force Armenia to respect the norms and principles of international law, Mammadyarov said.