BAKU, January 14 (Itar-Tass) — The Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia will meet the Russian, American and French co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group in Paris on January 28, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov said.
Speaking at a press conference after Monday’s talks with Norwegian counterpart Espen Barth Eide, Mamedyarov said the final format of the meeting, which would focus on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement, had not been determined.
He said this was related to the fact that international mediators had not submitted their proposals on this issue yet.
Commenting on Azerbaijan’s position on the resettlement of Armenian refugees for Nagorno-Karabakh from Syria, Mamedyarov said, “We consider this step illegitimate.” He noted that Azerbaijan riveted attention to this problem and exercised control over it.
The foreign minister stressed that amid the occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh by Armenia and adjacent regions the work of a new airport in Khankendi (Stepanakert) “violates the norms of international law”. “The airport itself does not represent a big problem. But it can be used for humanitarian purposes. This problem should be the part of working out a big plan on the Karabakh settlement. If Armenia wants to use this airport, let it withdraw its troops from the occupied Azerbaijani territories,” he explained.
The Norwegian foreign minister said Armenia’s flights over the occupied Azerbaijani territories “are illegal and can damage the Karabakh settlement”. “Flights over the occupied territories should not be made. This issue should be considered within the OSCE Minsk Group,” Eide said.
He urged the parties to refrain from any provocations.