STEPANAKERT. – Spokesperson of Nagorno-Karabakh President Davit Babayan commented on the statement by Azerbaijani deputy FM Araz Azimov in the interview with Austrian Der Standard. According to Azerbaijani media, Azimov said that compromise, which Azerbaijan can make in settling the Karabakh conflict, does not mean granting territories to Armenia. The compromise may be living two communities next to each other.

Hence, commenting on this statement, Babayan said that it may be divided into two parts.

“We share fully the first part. Azerbaijani-Karabakah conflict settlement does not intend granting Armenia territories, as it is not an Armenian-Azerbaijani territorial conflict. The conflict is not between Armenia and Azerbaijan but between Karabakh and Azerbaijan. Thus, all issues should be settled through the direct dialogue between Stepanakert and Baku,” Babayan stated.

Regarding the second part on living together, clarification is needed. If Azimov means Azerbaijan’s readiness to recognize Nagorno-Karabakh with current borders, then Karabakh is not against Azerbaijanis return and their full integration into Karabakh life. But if Baku means the situation that was before 1988, when Karabakh people demonstrated and claimed they want to be divided from Azerbaijan and be united with Armenia, and consider Karabakh as an intercommunity unit, then Azerbaijan again demonstrates destructive approach, Babayan concluded.