The Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Khalaf Khalafov stated on Thursday that the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region cannot be a party to negotiations on the conflict settlement.
On Tuesday, the National Assembly (Parliament) of Armenia elected Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, leader of the opposition party "Civil Contract" and the 'Elk' faction (Exodus) stated his readiness to negotiate with the leadership of Azerbaijan on the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, but with the condition that the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh will take part in it.
"This nonsense is unreal, this does not correspond to the negotiation process and its subject," Khalafov told reporters.
According to him, "the format of the talks has long been approved, and Nagorno-Karabakh cannot participate in it as a party."
The conflict in Karabakh began in February 1988, when the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region (NKAR) announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijani SSR.
In September 1991, the creation of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) was announced in the center of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous District Stepanakert.
The Azerbaijani authorities lost control over Nagorno-Karabakh during the subsequent military conflict.
Source: RIA
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