BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 24. Azerbaijan considers the Armenians living in Khankendi as its citizens, and their rights will be ensured in accordance with the Constitution of the country, Azerbaijani Ambassador to France Leyla Abdullayeva said in an interview with the French website Revue Conflits, Trend reports.
She noted that, after the end of the second Karabakh war and the signing of the tripartite statement, Azerbaijan took the initiative to normalize relations with Armenia. The ambassador emphasized the fact that Azerbaijan proposed to sign a peace treaty, which was not an easy decision against the background of the mass destruction of Azerbaijani heritage during the period of occupation of the territories.
"Subsequently, the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia met several times over the past two years, including with the participation of the President of the Council of the EU Charles Michel. Leaders' meetings were held in Brussels, Prague and Sochi. Both countries were close to reaching a peace deal last year. Unfortunately, every time the two countries come close to signing an agreement, Armenian provocations prevent this. For example, in September the situation on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border escalated. The Armenians tried to plant mines on the territory of Azerbaijan, and we reacted to this aggression," the ambassador added.