Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov told journalists in Baku today that Azerbaijan "sees three stages in the Karabakh conflict settlement".
The first stage is the withdrawal of Armenian troops from Karabakh with subsequent mine clearance. The second stage is the restoration of infrastructure, the resolution of socio-economic problems and the third - the return of all refugees to their native lands. Only after that will it be possible to speak about the status of Nagorno Karabakh, Mammadyarov said.
During the three stages, the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of Nagorno-Karabakh will discuss the future status of this region together.
"I would like to repeat that the issue of status can be settled only within the framework of territorial integrity. Similar models of resolving status have been used in Tatarstan, Bashkortostan and most countries, including in Europe."
Mammadyarov hoped that Armenia will take a constructive position at the upcoming talks which will help to bring closer the final stage of resolution of the Karabakh conflict.
The foreign ministries of Azerbaijan and Armenia will continue consultations on 1-2 December in Athens, which is hosting the OSCE foreign ministers’ meeting. The ministries will discuss the outcome of the meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents which is due to be held in late November, Mammadyarov said.