BAKU. July 11 (Interfax) - Azerbaijan and Armenia will hold summit peace talks over the next few days, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Tuesday, while expressing a hope that the two sides would narrow the gap further.
"Our position on peace talks is clear, logical and reliant on international law. I think that it is under these principles, based on the norms and principles of international law, that a peace agreement can be signed. At any rate, I think that such possibilities are there," Aliyev said at a meeting, which focused on the country's first half-year social-economic results.
The latest rounds of negotiations, and the top-level ones due in next few days, aim to bring the two sides closer to a peace, he said.
"We want it, we put forward this initiative. However, I reiterate that not everything depends on us, the opposite side, too, should be prepared for it and must bring those principles from words onto paper," Aliyev said.
He also noted some positive changes in the Armenian stance.
"Whereas in October last year [Armenia] recognized Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, sovereignty and borders, in May this year it went further by formally recognizing the territorial parameters of Azerbaijan, including Karabakh and the enclave's villages. This should be seen as a positive fact. The time has come for these very words to be solidified on paper so that signatures are put and relations established. At any rate, we will continue our efforts in this direction," Aliyev said.