YEREVAN, MARCH 16, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani public is not holding discussions on the recent statement of the OSCE Minsk Group and the negotiation process for the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement, and this cannot contribute to the process of preparing populations to peace, Tatev Hayrapetyan – MP of the My Step faction of the Armenian Parliament, expert on Azerbaijani studies, said during today’s press conference, reports Armenpress.

“It’s already a week we are discussing quite actively both the statement of the Co-Chairs and the negotiation process of the NK conflict at different platforms, and I follow the Azerbaijani reactions, they are not holding any discussion at all. This shows the major gap existing between the two societies. Preparing to peace means to hold a discussion. We launched these discussions, almost always, but in Azerbaijan these discussions are totally absent”, the lawmaker said.

In their March 9 statement the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America), with reference to some contradictory recent public statements on the substance of the Minsk Group process, reiterated that a fair and lasting settlement must be based on the core principles of the Helsinki Final Act, including in particular the non-use or threat of force, territorial integrity, and the equal rights and self-determination of peoples. 

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan