Azerbaijan, Baku, May 16 / Trend S. Agayeva /
If Serzh Sargsyan perceives the concept of "territorial integrity" differently, let him give one part of Armenia to one country and another part to the other country, the head of international relations department at Azerbaijani Presidential Administration, Novruz Mammadov said. He was commenting on the interview of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan to the Russian media.
"At the level of his understanding, the Armenian President thinks that everyone must think like him," he said. "Others should not be blamed if Sargsyan does not understand the principle of territorial integrity. The principle of territorial integrity for us is a principle indicated in international documents. There are specific definitions and rules. We are well aware of them."
In the interview with Russian Moscow News newspaper, Sargsyan said Baku perceives the principle of self-determination just as the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.
Mammadov said that Armenia tries to confuse others by such statements.
"Azerbaijan is well knows what a principle of territorial integrity is," Mammadov noted. "It provides for the autonomy of Nagorno-Karabakh within Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. Simply, the Armenian president and other leaders of the country must not try to take the talks away from reaching a logical result by voicing their ridiculous ideas. They consider this kind of procrastination as success for themselves. But they are greatly mistaken. No matter how much time has passed, their position in this issue will gradually weaken."
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent 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 U.S. - are currently holding the 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.
View Novruz Mammadov on his personal page on Twitter at www.twitter.com / NovruzMammadov.