Baku distorts everything that accepts, says Nalbandian

Madrid Document is still the agenda of talks on settlement to the Karabakh conflict, said Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian at the joint press conference, held with Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak, who is on a visit to Armenia.

Edward Nalbandian pointed that Azerbaijan for a long time refused to negotiate under the Madrid Document of November 2007, containing the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs' wording on Basic Principles; and since Azerbaijan involved in talks, it never said of its approval and acceptance of the Document as a basis for talks. “If Azerbaijan is accepting the Madrid Document now, then this should be only welcomed,” said Armenian Foreign Minister.

According to Edward Nalbandian, Aliev administration accepts the Madrid Document with some exceptions. Nalbandian pointed: “Actually, the Azerbaijani side excludes more, than accepts; and it even gives a false color to accepted wordings, meanings of talks and consultations.”

According to Nalbandian, MG Co-Chairs have been repeatedly delivering proposals on settlement to the conflict.

“We discuss these and previous proposals, and this is a usual working process. Time after time and lately even more actively, Azerbaijan uses a ‘smokescreen’, saying that one side accepted proposals, or saying that one side is non-constructive,” said Edward Nalbandian.

He also told journalists about his visit to France and meeting with OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and Personal Representative of the CiO, and said that the meeting was held in the same constructive spirit as in recent years.