Armenian PM says ready to meet and negotiate with Azerbaijan’s Aliyev
As any democracy, Armenia is devoted to exclusively peaceful solution for Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in an interview to Talk to Al Jazeera program of Al-Jazeera TV.
The Armenian PM said Azerbaijan became more aggressive after the revolution in Armenia. “We have big success in making Armenia democratic country, in fighting corruption, monopolies, creating equal conditions. I think Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev has some fears that the Azerbaijani people can be inspired by the Armenian revolution and try to make similar changes in Azerbaijan. So I think the increase of the aggressive rhetoric by the Azerbaijani government is connected with this situation”, PM Pashinyan said, adding that the Azerbaijani government is trying to distract the attention of its own people from their domestic problems to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
“We are ready for peace negotiations. I want to make clear that point: I am ready for negotiations with president of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev”, Pashinyan said, adding that he is ready to meet Aliyev.
Nikol Pashinyan attached importance to the OSCE Minsk Group format in the conflict settlement. “I think this format is able to solve this conflict peacefully if the Armenian and Azerbaijani governments will have a respective political will for peaceful solution. I can assure you and all international community that as any democratic government, we have real will and real desire to solve this conflict peacefully and we are ready for negotiations. But I want to insist that we aren’t going to make anything in the atmosphere of intimidation. It’s very important to create atmosphere of peace in our region”, he said.
He stated that no one in Armenia can hear any hate speech connected with Azerbaijan and its people, but unfortunately, one can hear every day hate speech from Azerbaijan towards Armenia, and what is dangerous is that one can hear that hate speech personally from Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev.
