What Does the Entire Population of Nagorno-Karabakh Mean? According to Azerbaijan, It Means Internally Displaced Persons, Says Prime Minister

In our reality, there has been an understanding that the side which exhibits a non-constructive approach in negotiations is pressed by the international community to enter a constructive framework, stated Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in parliament.

"Since a certain point, at least since 2011, when the Azerbaijani side adopted a non-constructive stance, the international community has not persuaded Azerbaijan to come into a constructive forum, but rather set the Armenian side the task of making more concessions to possibly bring Azerbaijan into a constructive framework. Furthermore, the claims that there are agreements regarding a referendum are an attempt to mislead," the prime minister said.

According to him, the negotiation packages included provisions for a referendum, stating that the referendum should express the free will of the entire population of Nagorno-Karabakh. The Prime Minister noted that everything seems normal, but emphasized that there is no clarification on where this referendum would take place.

"The area of the referendum is not defined, and this is a fundamentally important question. Azerbaijan has always held the position that, according to its Constitution, the status of any part considered internationally as its territory can only be determined through such a referendum taking place across all of Azerbaijan's territory. This has been Azerbaijan's position in the negotiations. The next question is, what does the entire population of Nagorno-Karabakh mean? According to Azerbaijan's interpretation, it means internally displaced persons, including family members born after their displacement. But who will formulate the question? There have also been no clear answers to this question," Pashinyan emphasized.