Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s proposal to accept the separatist regime created in the occupied Azerbaijani territories as a party in negotiations is wrong, Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Khalaf Khalafov said on Thursday, APA reports.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has been going on for many years due to Armenia’s continuation of the occupation of Azerbaijani territories, noted Khalafov.

“As long as Armenia doesn’t withdraw from the occupied Azerbaijani territories, the resolution of the conflict is delayed. We hope that the new government of Armenia will take a more constructive position, in particular, consider the urgency of the issue of the liberation of the occupied territories. In this case, it will be possible to conduct peace talks,” he said.

It is wrong to propose the separatist regime in Nagorno-Karabakh as a party in peace talks, the diplomat stressed.

“The format of the negotiations has already been approved within the framework of the OSCE. Armenia and Azerbaijan participates as negotiators, France, the United States and Russia as mediators. The negotiations must be continued in this format,” Khalafov said, adding. “The early liberation of our lands will be the main issue in the negotiations. There have been such attempts before, but this is unrealistic, absurd and does not correspond to the negotiation process. Nagorno-Karabakh is an occupied Azerbaijani region and is not a subject of discussion. Another important issue on the agenda is the return of refugees to their native lands.”