Armenia hinders peaceful settlement of Karabakh conflict: Mammadyarov

Today's prevailing realities require the effective interaction and coordination of efforts of all states against new challenges and threats to stability and security."

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov made the remarks at a meeting of the CIS Council of Foreign Ministers held through video conferencing, Report says.

"However, the unresolved conflicts in the Commonwealth space, especially the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, impede the full and effective realization of the integration potential within the Commonwealth, posing a major obstacle to closer interaction of the CIS member states in countering new challenges and threats," Mammadyarov said.

"The recent statements by the Armenian leadership show that the Armenian side is doing its best to hinder the intensification of the peaceful settlement process, thereby posing new threats to regional stability and security," stressed the Foreign Minister.

"Azerbaijan remains committed to the earliest political settlement of the conflict. The negotiations cannot last forever and should not serve to continue and maintain the situation that arose as a result of the use of force, occupation, and ethnic cleansing," he added.

Mammadyarov reiterated that Azerbaijan has the right to restore its territorial integrity by all means within its internationally recognized borders, as stated in the UN Charter, the Helsinki Final Act, Paris Charter, and the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.

"A speedy solution to the conflicts based on the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of the borders of states, will undoubtedly help strengthen the regional and international security, social progress and economic cooperation in the region," the Foreign Minister emphasized.