Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov announced that if Armenian side admits that principles emphasized by Richard Hoagland are not new and they are accepting them, then substantive negotiations should be started.

Mammadyarov made the remark while talking to Azertac on a recent statement of the United States co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, Richard Hoagland, on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution.

“The L'Aquile, Muskoka and Los Cabos statements by the Presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries reflected the key elements of a step-by-step settlement of the conflict on the basis of the Helsinki Final Act,” said Mammadyarov.

“These elements also constitute the fundamental basis of the updated Madrid principles. The same principles have been also emphasized by the United States co-chair, Richard Hoagland. The very first step in the sequence of principles, which are complementary to one another, is the withdrawal of Armenia’s troops from the occupied territories around the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. With the elimination of the fact of occupation, return of internally displaced persons to their native lands and implementation of necessary security measures should be ensured. It should also be noted that Armenia does not implement the demands of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions on the conflict.”

Hoagland, addressing a round-table in Washington on August 24, stressed that territorial integrity is an important part of the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“There can be no settlement without respect for Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and the recognition that sovereignty over these territories must be restored,” he said.

The statement caused serious concern and panic in Armenia's political leadership. There were voiced statements that are contradictory at different levels and one denies another one. Lately, Armenian officials stated that these principles are not new.

Mammadyarov further stressed that the Armenian people will be able to benefit from the cooperation opportunities that the conflict resolution would create.

“The Azerbaijani side has repeatedly stated that it is ready for serious negotiations to change the current status quo, which is considered as an unacceptable by the Heads of State of Minsk Group Co-chair countries and to ensure the soonest settlement of the conflict and the lasting peace in the region,” he said.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia still controls fifth part of Azerbaijan's territory and rejects implementing four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts.

More than two decades have passed since the ceasefire agreement. For all these years, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has been supposed to find a solution by peaceful means. However, the reluctance of Armenia does not let to end the conflict and to restore peace in the South Caucasus.