ArmInfo. Azerbaijan is ready to continue substantive negotiations on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement with the aim of beginning a process of phased settlement of this conflict, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said,Turan reports.
''Baku has repeatedly voiced the position on the need to promote a responsible result-oriented dialogue - the end of the occupation of ''Azerbaijani territories'', the creation of conditions for the safe and dignified return of internally displaced persons, including representatives of the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh, to their homes, followed by ensuring broad rights of self-governance for the population of the Nagorno Karabakh region of Azerbaijan, composed of Armenian and Azerbaijani communities," the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister noted. Elmar Mammadyarov pointed out that the high-level conversation held between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the sidelines of the CIS summit in Dushanbe is a good example of Azerbaijan's readiness for meaningful dialogue. "Alas, the change of power and the political turbulence observed in Yerevan so far have slowed down the process to a certain extent. We hope that the Armenian leadership in the near future will be able to demonstrate the political will to continue the negotiation process within the framework of the existing format and on the basis of a well-known agenda," the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister noted.
When asked about the likelihood of Azerbaijan joining the CSTO, Mamedyarov responded evasively that Baku was pursuing a balanced foreign policy and was developing an active bilateral dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation with all the CSTO member states, except Armenia.