On 6 July, the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated in an interview with local TV channels that Azerbaijan will not change its position over the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. He also said that the negotiations with Armenia mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group have not been yielding any results.
He emphasized that Azerbaijan expects the OSCE Minsk Group to negotiate the conflict in such a way as to give “more serious and specific statements” with regards to the conflict and to respond to Armenia’s provocative actions. “We are showing patience and trying to be constructive. However, today, in fact, the negotiation process is not going on. Video conferences between the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers have no significance. This simply shows that the Minsk Group is allegedly active… We will not carry out negotiations for the sake of imitation. We want to hold substantial talks,” Aliyev said.
He reminded that a number of actions by Armenia that undermine the negotiations have gone unanswered by the OSCE Minsk Group. “The Armenian Prime Minister says that ‘Karabakh is Armenia… Why hasn't the Minsk Group responded to this? Why will they not say that this statement is in fact destroying the essence of the negotiations that have been shaped by the Minsk Group?” he said.
“Armenia has been seeking to change the format of negotiations for two years now and has stated that Azerbaijan must negotiate with so-called leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh. Has there been a relevant response to this? No! It is answered with abstract words and beating around the bush. But those times are over. We demand clarity,” he concluded.
Pashinyan’s spokesperson Mane Gevorgyan responded to Aliyev's statements. “Mr. Aliyev’s last statement clearly mentions the reason why the conflict remains unresolved — the rights of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh have been fully ignored. The citizens of Karabakh will obviously protect their rights, and the negotiations can’t be effective as long as Azerbaijan hasn’t recognized those rights,” she wrote on Facebook.
“After all, Prime Minister Pashinyan has proposed a clear formula for making the negotiations effective, and that is that any solution to the Karabakh issue must be acceptable for the peoples of Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan. The international community accepts this formula, but not Mr. Aliyev, who says the settlement of the conflict must be acceptable only for the people of Azerbaijan. Mr. Aliyev is [also] blaming the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, Armenia and historical justice for the fact that there is no solution to the issue, but he must only blame himself for not discussing the issue constructively for a long time now,” she added.
The last meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister, Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and Elamr Mammadyarov, took place on 30 June via video conference. During the conference the region’s public health situation, current dynamics in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and next steps in the peace process were discussed. The OSCE Minsk Group positively assessed the relative stability on the ground and expressed satisfaction that the sides continue to use existing direct communication links to avoid escalation. However, they noted with concern that recent provocative statements, inflammatory rhetoric and possible steps intended to change the situation on the ground in tangible ways could undermine the settlement process (Caucasus Watch reported).
