A senior Azerbaijani official has dismissed comments by the Armenian president that Baku does not understand the principle of territorial integrity.
"For us the principle of territorial integrity is a principle reflected in international documents. If Serzh Sargsyan has a different perception of the concept of 'territorial integrity', then let it give part of Armenia to one country and another part to another country," Novruz Mammadov, head of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration's international relations department, said.
"The Armenian president thinks that everyone should think like him. If he does not understand the principle of territorial integrity, others are not to blame for this. For us the principle of territorial integrity is a principle reflected in international documents and which has specific definitions and rules, and we are well aware of this," Mammadov said.
In an interview with Russian newspaper Moskovskiye Novosti, Serzh Sargsyan said that Azerbaijan had made territorial integrity into a dogma.
"They understand the right to self-determination only as self-determination within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. There can’t be such self-determination; it is a shortened, primitive self-determination. This is why it will be very difficult to resolve the issue until Azerbaijan understands the essence of this principle," Sargsyan said in the interview, published on Monday.
Armenia is trying to confuse others by saying this, Azerbaijani official Novruz Mammadov commented.
"Azerbaijan is well aware of what the principle of territorial integrity is, and it provides for the autonomy of Nagorno-Karabakh within Azerbaijan's territorial integrity,” Novruzov continued.
“Simply the Armenian president and other leaders of the country should not voice their absurd ideas and deprive the negotiating process of a logical result.
“They believe this delay is a success for them, but they are badly mistaken. No matter how much time has passed, their position in this matter will gradually weaken," the presidential official said.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
