By Gokhan Celiker
Baku expects Armenia to respect the universal principles of international law, an Azerbaijani ambassador said.
"Azerbaijan is the initiator of peace talks with Armenia and is interested in signing a peace agreement. We only expect Armenia to respect the universal principles of international law," Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Türkiye Rashad Mammadov told Anadolu in an interview.
Expressing that Karabakh is "completely off the agenda" in talks between the two countries following Azerbaijan's anti-terrorism operation in September last year, Mammadov said the joint statement released by both countries in December showed "positive developments."
Mammadov further said that five meetings have been held between Azerbaijan and Armenia's border commissions, and that Baku is open to mediation but both countries are capable of direct talks.
"Of course, Azerbaijan does not close its door to friendly mediation, but we believe that the two countries are capable of negotiating directly," he said.
The ambassador also said one of the main issues about talks with Armenia is the opening of transportation and communication corridors in the region, regarding which he said Yerevan has not yet fulfilled its obligation to open the corridor connecting Nakhchivan to western Azerbaijan.
"We expect this obligation to be fulfilled. But we are not just waiting, we are already creating an alternative route to Nakhchivan via Iran," Mammadov added.
He noted that Baku also expects a solution to the return of internally displaced Azerbaijanis to the Karabakh region.
"We absolutely do not accept the Armenian prime minister's description of these Azerbaijanis as a 'threat to the national security' of his country," the ambassador said.
About the upcoming presidential election in his country on Feb. 7, Mammadov described it as a "historic event" as it is set to be held across the country's sovereign territory, the first one since Azerbaijan gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
He explained that the elections "symbolize the end of the occupation period and the opening of a new era in the history of Azerbaijan," adding that he hopes the elections will be held successfully both in his country and abroad.
*Writing by Burc Eruygur