Question: Mr. Minister, Baku claims that Armenia allegedly avoids negotiations, but will have to return to the negotiating table. How would you comment on that statement?

Edward Nalbandian: The Azerbaijani side tries, so to speak “to put a good face during a bad game”, however they fail at it as well. It is well known that Armenia has always supported the negotiations and continues to do so. Likewise, it is well known that it has always been Azerbaijan that continuously tried by all means to move the discussions on Nagorno-Karabakh to other platforms, has tried to avoid negotiations and to refuse meetings organized within the agreed format under the aegis of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs while putting the blame for that on the Armenian side.

Perhaps, before voicing such spurious claims, Baku should have explained how it comes, that while allegedly we are the ones refusing the negotiations, it is Azerbaijan who in the end fails to implement agreements reached during negotiations, as it was the case with the agreements reached at the last year’s Summits in Vienna and St. Petersburg.

Azerbaijan always tries to refuse the implementation of even minimal agreed steps, meanwhile putting forward maximalist demands and claiming to get everything. Everyone’s impression that Azerbaijan is not capable of engaging in negotiations gets further confirmations. Recently in Munich and before that in Hamburg we witnessed again Azerbaijan’s attempts to refuse meetings, nevertheless, Armenia has always been and continues to be the supporter of the negotiations, as the negotiation process has no alternative.

Question: Mr. Minister, there have been reports in the media that the meeting between Foreign Ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia is expected to take place on April 27th. Does this information correspond to reality?

Edward Nalbandian: There is a general perception that such a meeting should be organized. Once the final agreement is reached, and the timetable is clarified, we will inform you about that.