Opposition MP says Azerbaijan put forth new demands for peace deal with Armenia
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s pullout of EU-brokered meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan confirms Baku has set forth new demands for a peace deal with Armenia, opposition MP Artur Khachatryan claims.
“The Armenian authorities probably hoped that Azerbaijan would quench its thirst for blood after Artsakh’s takeover. However, yesterday's demarche of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev indicates that Baku will not be satisfied only with Artsakh and has presented additional demands to the Armenian authorities,” he told a press briefing on Thursday.
"This is exactly what we have been warning about for years," added Khachatryan, who represents the opposition Hayastan bloc.
Pashinyan and Aliyev were to meet in Granada, Spain, on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit on October 5. They were expected to be joined there by European Council President Charles Michel, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. However, Aliyev refused to attend the talks with Pashinyan at the last minute,
The lawmaker said Baku's main demand most likely concerned the so-called “enclaves”.
"Azerbaijan’s demand has been “legitimized” by Nikol Pashinyan and members of his faction. Of course, there was also the issue of the corridor," the MP emphasized.