David Babayan, Speaker for the Artsakh President on his Facebook referred to the rumors that Azerbaijan is trying to make the so-called Azerbaijani community of Nagorno Karabakh a part of negotiations, stated that there is no concept of “Azerbaijani community”.

“It is clear to us that we must do our best to bring these manipulations of Azerbaijan, aimed to equate the Republic of Artsakh with a so called ‘Azerbaijani community’, which is neither a political, nor a state, not even a public organization something fake or I do not know what. This can never happen because the Republic of Artsakh has existed as a state for decades and its status as a conflicting party is fixed in the Minsk Group and OSCE documents, particularly in the 1994 Budapest Decisions. And therefore, the concept of “Azerbaijani community” is unacceptable for us,” he noted.

He added that the format of negotiations cannot be quadrilateral, as Artsakh is a well-established state and cannot be “equated with some fake one or two-member community.”

Babayan also noted that Baku has always been speculating and continues to speculate on this issue, as well as blackmailing the co-chairs visiting the region to have meetings with that community.

He added that there would be no return of Azerbaijanis to Artsakh without Armenians returning to Azerbaijan.

“We always say that the problem can be resolved first if all the political issues are resolved. In other words, there should be no open question when the states, Artsakh and Azerbaijan recognize each other, the borders are clarified, each and every issue is resolved, and then the humanitarian issues are addressed again.

As for Madrid, other principles, there is no document, there are some issues that are being negotiated. Azerbaijan speaks of territorial integrity; can we refuse it, no, we have to discuss that stupidity, and our issues together with it. These negotiations are and are not the only way to settle our issues, they are raising their own issues and they are having discussions, but that does not mean that it is acceptable. The last word is for the people and there can be no compulsion,” the post reads.

Notably, the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and Elmar Mammadyarov, discussed with the Minsk Group Co-Chairs individually and jointly in Geneva on 28-30 January, the possible next steps to prepare the peoples for peace. The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs reaffirmed their full commitment to assisting the parties in the peaceful settlement of the conflict and to the principle of confidentiality in the settlement process. They emphasized the need for a creative approach and a spirit of compromise to achieve just and lasting peace.