“It is not up to the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister to solve Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) status problem, it is a prerogative of Karabakh people”, Edward Nalbandyan, the RA Foreign Minister, stated at the July 8 press conference.

Earlier, his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov speaking at the ceremony of the “Azerbaijani diplomacy 90th anniversary” stated, that Azerbaijan will never accept the current state of Nagorno-Karabakh issues, that is fated to be autonomy within Azerbaijan boundaries.

Nalbandyan commented on Mammadyarov’s statement after he met with OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen Yuri Merzlyakov (Russia), Bernard Fassier (France), Matthew Bryza (USA) and Andrzej Kasprzyk, the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office. The latter arrived in Yerevan to specify the positions of both parties before the forthcoming July meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents.

Nalbandyan told co-chairmen that the presence of Nagorno-Karabakh as equal rights negotiator is a must, as it will guarantee the effectiveness of the peace process. The co-chairmen in their turn regretted, that again were unable to visit Stepanakert.