Baku is ready to negotiate over the provision of a status of high autonomy to Nagorno-Karabakh, Mammadyarov said in an interview with Kuwaiti newspaper Alrai.
He expressed his regret at the failure of the UN General Assembly's four resolutions on Nagorno-Karabakh.
"Twenty percent of Azerbaijani territory is under occupation and more than a million people have been made refugees and IDPs. All international organizations and major states are making every effort for the de-occupation of Azerbaijani territories. We believe in the return of the occupied territories, and we hope that this is possible through diplomatic channels," he said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied a swathe of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the USA - are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
"We are not afraid of granting autonomy to Nagorno-Karabakh," the minister said. "The principle of autonomy is enshrined in international law and requires certain procedures." He cited Tatarstan, Chechnya and other regions of the Russian Federation as an example.
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