BAKU. Feb 20 (Interfax) - There is a number of platforms for Azerbaijani-Armenian normalization talks, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said.
"We have a number of platforms to discuss normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The so-called Brussels format is one of those. We reaffirmed our commitment to the process yesterday [on Friday] when we met with European Council President Mr. Charles Michel. We also discussed the Brussels process as a trilateral format today, at a trilateral meeting organized by State Secretary Blinken. I think there is a common understanding that this is only a trilateral format including the European Union, Azerbaijan and Armenia," Aliyev said at a plenary meeting of the Munich Security Conference.
Aliyev said that the OSCE Minsk Group's format does not exist. "The Minsk Group [...] practically does not exist. Maybe, it exists on paper only. The former co-chairs of the Minsk Group, which yielded no results over 28 years of operation, still have leverage to influence the situation. So, now we have a platform organized by the United States, Russia, as well as by European Union," he said.
There is no France in this format because of the unilateral pro-Armenian stance of the French government, Aliyev said. "That's understandable that you cannot pick a side when you are an intermediary. You cannot demonstrate siding with anyone either," he said.