Thierry Mariani: Armenia should be the first who take a step in the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement

Yerevan should be the first who take step in order to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict due to the fact that Armenia occupied Azerbaijani lands. The deputy of the National Assembly from the the Republicans party, co-chairman of the Association ‘Franco-Russian Dialogue’ Thierry Mariani, who had just returned from a trip to Crimea, stated his was stated in an interview with a ‘Vestnik Kavkaza’ correspondent in the fields of the press conference.

‘‘Officially, there is a Minsk Group that has been operating for over 20 years. I think it is reasonable that it is time for the both peoples to negotiate, but the first steps should be taken by by Armenia that occupied Azerbaijani territories,’’ he stressed.

The MP also shared his impressions of Baku. "I know Azerbaijan for many years. I have been to Azerbaijan many times and the first time I visited the country was 15 years ago. I remember what Baku was and what it has become now. In my opinion, Baku has significantly changed, but I think that it is one of the most beautiful cities, along with Tbilisi in the Caucasus,’’ the French politician said.

Speaking about Azerbaijan as a whole, the MP noted multiculturalism, which is a distinctive feature of the country. "This is a very interesting country, as people with various religions live peacefully together there," he explained.

"This is an interesting country fro the viewpoint of economic development. Certainly, the economy is a difficult situation situation due to decrease in oil prices, but I hope that the situation will improve and Azerbaijan will step on the right path,’’ he concluded.