Yerevan says not negotiating return of Azerbaijanis to Armenia

PanARMENIAN.Net - Yerevan is not negotiating the return of Azerbaijanis to the territory of Armenia, Ambassador-at-Large Edmon Marukyan has said.

"There is no such topic on the negotiating table. This propaganda is carried out by the Azerbaijanis... We have no legal obligations on this part," he said in an interview with the Public Television.

Marukyan's remarks came after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, after his meetings with Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers in Moscow, weighed in on ensuring the rights of national minorities, noting that "the Azerbaijani side is ready to provide the same guarantees on a reciprocal basis with regard to persons living on its territory. The Armenians are ready to do that, and the same applies to the application of all conventions to citizens residing in the Republic of Armenia,” he added.

"Lavrov's statement does not correspond to the topic being discussed, because this issue was not discussed with the Armenian Foreign Minister," Marukyan stressed.

He noted that when paragraph 7 of the statement of November 9, 2020 "On the return of refugees and displaced persons" is fulfilled, and they (Azerbaijanis) have a desire to discuss the above, then a dialoge can be started.