Mammadyarov: Skip the discussion on the basic principles. Lets discuss a peace treaty

The Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, Elmar Mammadyarov has suggested that rather than continue discussing the basic principles for the resolution of the Karabakh conflict Armenia and Azerbaijan should concentrate on drafting a peace treaty.

Mamadyarov was quoted by Interfax Azerbaijan as saying that  "Azerbaijan is still in the same position that it were after Sochi in 2010. We are ready to begin drafting a peace agreement with the understanding of what has been achieved. Kazan allowed us to move forward. We understood that there are still uncoordinated elements, but in any case they should be reflected in the peace treaty, and if there is actually a free will, then let's work on it immediately, without waiting for the next phase of negotiations on basic principles".

The Minister was quoted as saying that "in Kazan some progress has been made, and we can safely go to a peace agreement"

Asked when Baku was ready to begin negotiations on a peace agreement with Armenia, the minister said: "Right today."

"Many media outlets write that the meeting in Kazan was not successful, but I do not agree with this," Mammadyarov said referring to the Kazan meeting of presidents of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia held on 24 June.

"I agree rather with the position that, firstly, as also reflected in the statement of the presidents, the rapprochement did occur, and, secondly, we - Azerbaijan and Armenia - should continue negotiations with no hysterics and work on rapprochement of positions,” the minister said.

Source: Interfax Azerbaijan with editing from commonspace.eu

 

 

Related articles

Editor's choice
News
Pope Leo XIV, has called on world leaders to lay down their weapons and choose “encounter” over domination

Pope Leo XIV, has called on world leaders to lay down their weapons and choose “encounter” over domination

The leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV, has called on world leaders to lay down their weapons and choose “encounter” over domination. “Let those who have weapons lay them down!”, the Pope urged on Easter Sunday in his traditional Urbi et Orbi message. Speaking to the tens of thousands of pilgrims gathered in St Peter's Square, Pope Leo urged "those who have the power to unleash wars" to chose peace.  This should not be a peace “imposed by force”, he stressed, but one achieved through dialogue – “not with the desire to dominate others, but to encounter them”. Pope Leo warned that the world is “growing accustomed to violence”. We are “becoming indifferent”, he said, not only to the deaths of thousands of people, but to the “hatred and division” war causes, as well as its “economic and social consequences”. Borrowing a phrase from the late Pope Francis, Pope Leo warned of the “ever-increasing ‘globalisation of indifference’”. “We cannot continue to be indifferent!”, he urged. “We cannot resign ourselves to evil!”. For this reason, he said, he would be leading a prayer vigil for peace next Saturday, April 11th, in St Peter’s Basilica.
Editor's choice
News
Israel destroys 17 UNIFIL Cameras

Israel destroys 17 UNIFIL Cameras

Israeli forces destroyed 17 surveillance cameras linked to the United Nations peacekeepers’ main headquarters in southern Lebanon in 24 hours, a UN security official told AFP on Saturday. Since the start of the Israel-Hezbollah war on March 2, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been caught in the crossfire in the country’s south, with Hezbollah launching attacks on Israel and its troops, and Israeli forces pushing into border towns. The official, who requested anonymity, said “17 of the headquarters’ cameras have been destroyed by the Israeli army” in the coastal town of Naqura. UNIFIL spokeswoman Kandice Ardiel told AFP on Saturday that “the cameras appear to have been destroyed by some kind of laser.” She added that “(Israeli) soldiers are present in Naqura and have been undertaking massive demolitions of buildings in the village this week.” Earlier this week, Ardiel told AFP that “not only have these demolitions destroyed civilian homes and businesses, but the strength of the blasts have caused damage to UNIFIL’s headquarters.” Three Indonesian peacekeepers from the UN force have been killed in two separate incidents over the past week. UNIFIL also reported Friday an “explosion” in one of its bases near Odaisseh in south Lebanon that wounded three personnel, adding that they “do not yet know the origin of the explosion.” The Israeli army accused Hezbollah of firing “a rocket that landed in a UNIFIL outpost.” The UN office in Jakarta said on Saturday the wounded were Indonesian. Indonesia condemned the incident as “unacceptable,” saying “these events underscore the urgent need to strengthen protection for UN peacekeeping forces amid an increasingly dangerous conflict situation.” According to the UN, 97 force members have been killed in violence since its establishment in 1978 to monitor the withdrawal of Israeli forces after they invaded Lebanon.

Popular

Editor's choice
Interview
Thursday Interview: Murad Muradov

Thursday Interview: Murad Muradov

Today, commonspace.eu starts a new regular weekly series. THURSDAY INTERVIEW, conducted by Lauri Nikulainen, will host  persons who are thinkers, opinion shapers, and implementors in their countries and spheres. We start the series with an interview with Murad Muradov, a leading person in Azerbaijan's think tank community. He is also the first co-chair of the Action Committee for a new Armenian-Azerbaijani Dialogue. Last September he made history by being the first Azerbaijani civil society activist to visit Armenia after the 44 day war, and the start of the peace process. Speaking about this visit Murad Muradov said: "My experience was largely positive. My negative expectations luckily didn’t play out. The discussions were respectful, the panel format bringing together experts from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey was particularly valuable during the NATO Rose-Roth Seminar in Yerevan, and media coverage, while varied in tone, remained largely constructive. Some media outlets though attempted to represent me as more of a government mouthpiece than an independent expert, which was totally misleading.  Overall, I see these initiatives as important steps in rebuilding trust and normalising professional engagement. The fact that soon a larger Azerbaijani civil society visits to Armenia followed, reinforces the sense that this process is moving in the right direction." (click the image to read the interview in full)