ArmInfo. The format of the meeting on Nagorno-Karabakh to be held in Hamburg has not been decided yet, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian stated at the joint press conference with Italy's Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni on November 8.
"We will follow the process and will see what proposals the OSCE MG Co-Chairs will make on the organization of the meeting. I can only surely state that the meeting with the Co-Chairs will be held", Nalbandian noted.
The Armenian Foreign Minister recalled that one of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs (James Warlick- USA-ed. note) has stated about the possible meeting of Armenia and Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministers in Hamburg.
"After this Azerbaijan stated that it is ready for the meeting. However, Baku makes conflicting statements. On the one hand they are stating about the readiness to participate in the meeting, initiated by the co-chair countries, on the other hand they make statements in which they oppose the Co-Chairs' approaches and state that the conflict should be settled based on one principle only", Nalbandian noted. In this context he recalled that OSCE MG Co-Chairs have repeatedly stated that Karabakh conflict may be settled only based on all the three principles, which are non-use of force or threat by force, people's right to self-determination and territorial integrity.
According to Armenia's Foreign Minister it has been stated repeatedly that these principles proposed by the Co-Chairs are an integral whole and any attempts to consider them separately will create quite complex situation in the settlement process.
"That is why I think that Baku should decide whether it really wants to continue negotiations in this trilateral format, as on the one hand it states that it is ready to participate in the negotiations, on the other opposes the co-chairs' proposals and the basis set in the settlement process. Otherwise, participation in negotiations looks like imitation. Azerbaijan's participation in Vienna and Saint Petersburg summits testify to this. Up to now they refuse to fulfill agreements reached in these meetings and do everything possible to fail their implementation," the Armenian Foreign Minister noted.
At the same time Nalbandian stated that all those who were doubtful that Azerbaijan may escalate the situation received clear evidences of that in early April this year when Baku unleashed a wide scale aggression.
According to Nalbandian after Azerbaijan's wide-scale aggression in April OSCE MG Co-Chairs and Armenia's efforts have been aimed at creating relevant conditions for reaching progress in negotiations process on the peaceful settlement of Karabakh conflict. The Foreign Minister of Armenia also stressed that Armenia has never refused from meetings and accepted the format of negotiations, proposed by the Co- Chairs, unlike Azerbaijan, which only few months ago refused to meet the Co-Chairs calling them hopeless tourists.
He noted that Armenia is ready to participate in the meetings but everything depends on processes prior to Hamburg, "As always Azerbaijan again is trying to escalate the situation announcing this time holding of wide-scale military drills involving almost the whole resources of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces-60 thousand servicemen, tanks, planes and other equipment. This also infringes Vienna document, according to which they should have informed about the drills 45 days beforehand, in case nearly 9 thousand servicemen are involved in them", Nalbandian noted. In this context he added that Azerbaijan has initiated such actions on the threshold of Hamburg meeting. He also stated that Azerbaijan recently has deliberately escalated the situation on the border.
To note, OSCE Ministerial in Hamburg will be held in early December. OSCE MG US Co-Chair has stated earlier that within the session meeting between foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia is possible.