Armenian official denies Azeri statement on OSCE’s new Karabakh proposal

Mediamax news agency
10 Sep 04

Yerevan, 10 September: Official Yerevan has denied the Azerbaijani
foreign minister’s statement that the co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk
Group will submit an idea to the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents
for consideration. According to the idea, the status of Nagornyy
Karabakh will be discussed only after the return of the occupied
territories and refugees.

“If the Azerbaijani media has not exaggerated Mr Mammadyarov’s words
and he has really made such a statement, then I am obliged to declare
that this is wishful thinking on the part of Azerbaijan,” the spokesman
for the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Gamlet Gasparyan, said.

On 9 September, Baku’s Trend agency quoted Azerbaijani Foreign
Minister Elmar Mammadyarov as saying that an idea according to which
the occupied territories must be liberated and the displaced persons
must be returned to their places of residence will be submitted
to the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents for consideration. Only
after this, can the status of Nagornyy Karabakh be discussed, the
Azerbaijani foreign minister said.