Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has given an interview to the state news agency Azartac on the recent meeting between the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents in Paris. 

Mammadyarov said: “Every meeting at the presidential level, in general, is positive. Such meetings help understand the opposite side’s mood to advance the process of conflict resolution. 

"During the Paris meeting, we held talks in several stages and discussed issues on which we lack resolution. The Paris meetings saw President Ilham Aliyev reiterate the principled position of Azerbaijan, saying that “the withdrawal of Armenian forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan is number one term for the peaceful resolution of the conflict. 

“Once the requirement of Azerbaijan, clearly supported by the OSCE Minsk Group and UN Security Council resolutions, is enforced, there will be an ample opportunity for ensuring security in the region, opening the borders and communications, and coordinating issues on confidence-building measures. If there are no Armenian troops on our territory, there will be no need for snipers, and the number of military incidents will significantly fall.

The minister said: “We will build peace and develop the region. One of the significant outcomes of the meeting was French President Francois Hollande’s appeal to both sides of the conflict – Armenia and Azerbaijan – to start work on a big peace agreement. Azerbaijan has repeatedly expressed its readiness for this.”

Bakudaily.Az