YEREVAN. – Anna Naghdalyan, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Armenia, has commented on Azerbaijan Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov’s interview with Izvestia newspaper.

To the remark that, in his interview, the Azerbaijani FM expressed “disappointment” with his recent meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, also noting that the “Kazan document,” which is developed on the basis of the Madrid Principles, was the basis for negotiations, the Armenian MFA spokesperson responded as follows:

“Regarding the Azerbaijani FM’s view on the process of peaceful settlement of [the] Nagorno-Karabakh [(Artsakh) conflict], I just want to do a little reminder that the ‘Kazan document’ has been rejected by Azerbaijan itself. We [Armenia] have consistently introduced our principled position and approaches in the process of peaceful settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh, in which the matters of security and status of Artsakh are of primary importance. We are consistently working on our agenda.”

In his interview, the Azerbaijani FM also touched upon the problems concerning Armenians visiting Azerbaijan, presenting a unique solution to this matter. In this regard, the Armenian MFA spokesperson stated as follows:

“It’s nothing new to us that Armenians are the target of discrimination in Azerbaijan. In fact, in his interview, the Azerbaijani FM also confirms this, recognizing the existence of a discriminatory policy towards those of Armenian descent, which has been repeatedly voiced also by other states and international organizations, especially the RF [Russian Federation] and the OSCE/ODIHR. As per the Azerbaijani official, the best way of managing the existing discriminatory policy is to make the matter of every Armenian’s entry into Azerbaijan the subject of negotiations.”