By Trend:

Statements by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan about the participation of the illegal regime created in the occupied Azerbaijani territories as a third party in the negotiation process are another nonsense, Member of the Milli Mejlis (Parliament) of Azerbaijan Tahir Kerimli told Trend.

He noted that Pashinyan shows his confusion and political inexperience with this statement.

"If Pashinyan says that Armenia does not interfere in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and the illegal regime should participate in the negotiations on the settlement of the conflict, then Armenia should first withdraw its troops from Nagorno-Karabakh. On the other hand, if Pashinyan insists on the above, the decision of the Armenian Parliament on the annexation of Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia should be cancelled. The solution of the problem should start with this. Only after that the issue of participation of the Armenian community of Nagorno-Karabakh as a party to the conflict can be considered. Pashinyan has lost his mind, and he does not know what he is doing, what he says, and what decisions he is making," Kerimli said.

The Azerbaijani MP added that Pashinyan himself understands that his statement cannot be realized.

"If Pashinyan claims that Armenia does not interfere in the Nagorno Karabakh issue, then why he shares photos of Armenian soldiers killed in the April battles and proudly visits their graves? He himself knows perfectly well that the illegal regime created in the occupied Azerbaijani territories can never be independent, and this regime depends on the budget of Armenia. If Pashinyan wishes the participation of the Armenian community of Nagorno-Karabakh in the settlement of the conflict, he must distance himself from the negotiations, and Azerbaijan itself must solve the Nagorno-Karabakh issue as its internal affair. This statement of Pashinyan means the desire to preserve the status quo and not to participate in the negotiation process," the Azerbaijani MP said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasian countries arose in 1988 due to the territorial claims of Armenia to Azerbaijan. Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions - 20 percent of the territory of Azerbaijan - are under the occupation of the Armenian armed forces.
In May 1994, the parties reached a ceasefire, and so far, the peace talks have been unsuccessful under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group and under the co-chairmanship of Russia, France and the United States.

The four resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council on the liberation of the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and its adjacent territories are still not implemented by Armenia.