There can’t be language of threats in the negotiations. This is what Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan told reporters during a briefing in parliament today, touching upon Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan Zakar Hasanov’s statement that Azerbaijan is ready for large-scale military operations and that there might be escalation.

Asked if it is likely that something will be imposed on the Armenian side during the negotiations over the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and if Armenia has the potential and resoluteness to be able to resist the pressures, the foreign minister said the following: “As a government official, I have the mandate to advance the efforts, the Prime Minister has the mandate from the people, and we are guided by the mandates during the negotiations. We can’t create a situation where the security system becomes vulnerable for our people. We are constructive, but being constructive doesn’t mean working in a situation where our national interests are at risk and we find ourselves in an unacceptable situation.”