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Hikmet Hajiyev, the foreign policy aide to Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev. /VCG Image
An aide to the President of Azerbaijan accused Armenia of being disinterested in peacefully settling the conflict between both nations over the mountain enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Hikmet Hajiyev's comments come in the wake of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyansaying that he saw no possibility of a diplomatic solution at this stage in the conflict with Azerbaijan.
Pashinyan, had in turn, made the remarks after Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev said he believed the conflict could be solved militarily.
Hajiyev, who is also Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration, said the statement by Pashinyan demonstratedthat "Armenia's goal is to keep Azerbaijani lands under occupation.”
"The Armenian prime minister's statement that the conflict has no diplomatic solution once again demonstrates that Armenia is not interested in the settlement of the conflict through negotiations," Hajiyev said.
"Thus, it is once again confirmed that the statements of official Yerevan on the peaceful settlement of the conflict are nothing more than a lie."
Recent statements by both sides have increased doubts over the possibility of the conflict, which erupted on September 27, being resolved through a diplomatic initiative.
Pashinyan previously said Armenia was prepared for negotiations based on mutual concessions and a solution acceptable to all parties.
Azerbaijan's key prerequisite for ending the conflict is Armenia's withdrawal from Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia, however, already dismissed that condition.
The breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan but is inhabited and controlled by ethnic Armenians.
The conflict is the worst since Nagorno-Karabakh broke away from Azerbaijan and has resulted in the killings of hundreds of people. It has also increased fears of a broader war pulling in Turkey and Russia.
The foreign ministers of both countries are expected to meet U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington on Friday.
(With input from agencies)
