Edward Sharmazanov, spokesman for the ruling Republican Party of Armenia, said that the recent joint statement of the presidents from the Minsk Group Co-Chair nations regarding Karabakh included some positive points and that it was "constructive" overall. "One can view the statement of the three Presidents in the context of the St. Petersburg proposals since official Moscow and Yerevan both evaluated that meeting as positive while Azerbaijan’s little sultan Aliyev made a countermove and fled back to Baku," Sharmazanov said. The spokesman went on to say that the statement made references to the Madrid Principles were three of the most important points presented by the Armenian side had been included. "Clearly established was the issue of granting interim status to Nagorno-Karabakh and that final status would be based on the free expression of the will of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is nothing but recognition of the right of NK to exercise self-determination," he said. Sharmazanov also pointed to the call for a land border between Armenia and the NK and security guarantees as other positive elements of the joint statement. As to the statement’s call for Armenian forces to withdraw from the "occupied" territories surrounding the NK, Sharmazanov said, "If they mean Shahumyan, Getashen, Martunashen and a portion of Martakert, yes, these are occupied by Azerbaijan."