Azerbaijan is always ready for constructive talks and contacts serving the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, deputy head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Hikmat Hajiyev said.
He recalled that a conversation was held between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the CIS summit in Dushanbe, noting that the conversation started at the initiative of the Armenian Prime Minister.
"This once again shows that the format of the negotiations remains unchanged, and negotiations are conducted only between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which are parties of the conflict," the deputy head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration stressed. "Within the framework of the same format, in September, meetings between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan were held during the UN General Assembly in New York, and in July in Brussels," Trend cited him as saying, "We assess this positively, and Azerbaijan is always ready for constructive negotiations and contacts serving the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict," Hajiyev pointed out. "This once again demonstrates Azerbaijan’s commitment to the existing format," he noted.
The deputy head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration also commented on the strengthening the ceasefire regime on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the line of contact of troops.
"The Azerbaijani side has repeatedly stated that the main reason for the ceasefire violation is the illegal presence of Armenian troops in the occupied Azerbaijani territories and the continuation of military occupation," he pointed out. "The Armenian side has always been responsible for the ceasefire violation and the aggravation of the situation," he stressed. Hajiyev recalled the "large-scale military exercises conducted by the Armenian armed forces in the occupied Azerbaijani territories after the meeting of the heads of state in November 2014 in Paris, the incitement of a well-known helicopter incident, as well as Armenian armed troops' fire by heavy guns at civilians living along the contact line in April of 2016, and intentionally aggravation of the situation".
"So, the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the occupied Azerbaijani territories in accordance with the requirements of the UN Security Council's resolutions will eliminate not only military risk, but there will also be no need for a ceasefire, and there will be comprehensive opportunities for political solution of the conflict. This will ensure peace, stability and security in the region," Hikmat Hajiyev concluded.
