STEPANAKERT. – All humanitarian issues can be resolved only after the political issues are settled, spokesperson of Artsakh President David Babayan told Armenian News- NEWS.am.

Asked to comment on the possible participation of the Azerbaijani community in the negotiation process, David Babayan recalled that Azerbaijani community is not a state entity.

“Azerbaijani authorities forgot about the needs of people, they have made them refugees, and try to speculate on their tragedy,” Babayan said.

According to him, trying to represent the Azerbaijani community as a party to the conflict is ridiculous from a legal point of view and immoral.

“These are victims of the Azerbaijani regime,” Babayan said.

The spokesperson noted that no one drove the Azerbaijanis out of Karabakh and did not oppress them.

“When the referendum was held, the ballots were in three languages, including Azerbaijani. In the first parliament, seats for Azerbaijani deputies were reserved.” Babayan said, adding “this is a lesson for many democratic countries.”

He recalled that the Karabakh authorities had never opposed the return of Azerbaijani nationals.

“Everything should be mutually agreed- the return of Azerbaijani refugees and the return of Armenian refugees to their homes. However, we should understand that all humanitarian issues should be resolved after the political ones are settled. The tragedy should not happen again,” David Babayan concluded.