The Priority is Karabakh People's Position: Yerevan Responds to Baku

When it comes to the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict the priority is the position of the people of Nagorno Karabakh which was expressed yet in 1991 by a referendum, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson of the Republic of Armenia Tigran Balayan told Tert.am when asked to comment on recent statements by Azerbaijani officials.

"Armenia has backed that position and will continue doing so. Azerbaijan is only wasting time: all the same sooner or later it will have to take Nagorno Karabakhi people's expression of will into account," said Balayan.

Earlier some Azerbaijani officials said that Armenia has no position in the settlement of this conflict and that the time Armenia allegedly asked to think over the conflict has expired.

Particularly Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov had said that "Armenia told Baku that it needs time to withdraw troops from a part [meaning Lachin and Kelbajar] of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan" adding that the time for that issue, as well as for the return of the Azerbaijani people to Nagorno Karabakh is yet to be scheduled.

On May 5 Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Shavarsh Kocharyan had also responded to the statement by the Azerbaijani officials.
"As soon as Baku is ready to return Nagorno Karabakh's regions it has occupied and to recognize the independence of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh, as soon as it get rids of a mindset and work style typical of the Middle Ages, Baku can then ask NKR to held discussions over mutually-beneficial issues," Kocharyan told local Armenian daily Azg.