Azerbaijani community head responds to allegations of Nagorno-Karabakh separatists

Baku. 18 January. REPORT.AZ/ "Despite statements by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs on the prospects of the negotiations between Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan in Paris on January 16, we are looking forward to more concrete results, " Head of the Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan Tural Ganjaliyev said.

The head of the community also commented on the opinion of David Babayan, who presented himself as so-called "press secretary" of the "president" of the illegal regime created in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

As for the "new elements" voiced by David Babayan and "involving sides into dialogue for concrete steps," as the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh, as a supporter of constructive dialogue and dialogue between the Armenian and Azerbaijani communities in statements we have voiced earlier, we have repeatedly stated that we are an interested party in the peaceful settlement of the conflict, and we reiterate our readiness for it. From this point of view, the idea of the so-called "press secretary" of the head of the illegal regime is not new to us," Ganjaliyev said.

He stressed that the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh is an interested party in the negotiations: "I would like to remind Babayan once again that Armenia and Azerbaijan as the sides of the conflict, as well as the Armenian and Azerbaijani communities of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, were identified by a document adopted at the CSCE Council of Ministers meeting in Helsinki in 1992.

"Therefore, as an interested party we would like to say that talking only about the Armenian community of Nagorno-Karabakh and ignoring the Azerbaijani community contradicts the spirit of the statement in Paris  and will not help creating a constructive environment.

"At the same time, as the result of a Paris meeting held on 16 January, it was pointed out that the sides agreed to continue negotiations on the outcome. We consider that inter-community dialogue and contacts are of particular importance in the context of discussing ways in which the two sides on the agenda of the Paris talks are preparing for peace, security and sustainable regional development.

"Once again I would like to emphasize that the Azerbaijani community of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan hopes for the sooner peaceful settlement of the conflict and ensuring coexistence with the Armenian community. "