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Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov says Ruben Vardanyan’s stay in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) is illegal and “runs counter to the Azerbaijani legislation.”

Speaking at a year-end news conference on Wednesday, Bayramov ruled out any contacts with Vardanyan, who took over as Artsakh state minister on November 4, two months after renouncing his Russian citizenship and moving to Artsakh.

"Vardanyan's arrival and stay in the territory runs counter to the Azerbaijani laws and qualifies as illegal immigration. So the sooner he leaves, the better it will be for him,” the Azeri FM said.

Bayramov voiced Azerbaijan’s demands for Vardanyan to leave Artsakh at a joint news conference with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow last week. Azerbaijan also took the UN floor to speak about the inadmissibility of Ruben Vardanyan's stay in Artsakh.

Lavrov stated that Russia had nothing to do with Ruben Vardanyan's decision to move to Artsakh and engage in political activities there.

Commenting on the Azerbaijani statements, Vardanyan said he was glad to see such interest in his person.

“I'm glad there's so much interest in me. It means that I am doing everything right for the people of Artsakh and our country,” the state minister said.