Azerbaijan, Baku, October 6 / Trend News E. Tariverdiyeva /
Settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is very important from regional point of view as all communications and roads are closed, Azerbaijani deputy foreign minister Araz Azimov said.
"Co-chairmen of OSCE Minsk Group prepare a meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents in Kishinev. We also prepare for this meeting. More attention will be paid to several issues. But some of them will be discussed during further stages of the talks," Azimov told media on October 6.
The next meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sarkisian will be held in Kishinev on October 8, Russian co-chairman of OSCE Minsk Group Yuri Merzlyakov told media in Baku on October 6.
There is no unilateral settlement of the conflict. It can be solved only on the basis of a compromise, Azimov said.
He said that Azerbaijan is ready for a compromise settlement. High degree of autonomy within the Azerbaijani Republic must be given to Karabakh, deputy minister said.
He said that Armenia must also refuse from maximalism and take further actions. "If these actions are not taken, there will not be any conceptual settlement of conflicts," Azimov said.
He said that one of the principles is liberation of seven regions. Karabakh must remain as part of Azerbaijan. Refugees must return, communities must establish joint life. Afterwards, the issue on status can be solved. "There is not other solution. Other logic is unacceptable. There can not be any variant for Armenia to solve the conflict without Azerbaijan's consent," deputy minister said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan lost all of Nagorno-Karabakh except for Shusha and Khojali in December 1991. In 1992-93, Armenian armed forces occupied Shusha, Khojali and 7 districts surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
