Failure to sign a road map on Karabakh at Armenia-Russia-Azerbaijan meeting in Kazan is the fault of Azeri President Ilham Aliyev, who backed out at the last moment.

Izvestia daily cited a high-ranking Russian official as follows, “in Kazan, Baku and Yerevan were very close to reaching an agreement. However, at the last moment Aliyev backed out, offering 10 amendments.

According to Izvestia, Madrid principles, suggesting determination of final status of Nagorno Karabakh through the free will of local population, of a binding legal force, became the stumbling block.

“Karabakh’s fate, as the creators of the road map envisage it, must be resolved at the referendum. There’re no doubts as to the votes of the Armenia majority of Karabaskh, which is the reason for Baku’s issues,” the daily said.