Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, in an interview with the Turkish Anadolu Agency (AA), said that Baku has sent a new 5-point document to Armenia as a basis to normalize relations between the two countries and is waiting for a response.

 "If Armenia sincerely wants to normalize relations, this is a very good opportunity for them." AA quotes Bayramov as saying.

Bayramov made the remark on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey that was attended by Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan.

Bayramov said that Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani lands had prevented the normalization of relations for the past thirty years, but that the reality on the ground has changed.

"The message is that the factor of occupation has disappeared. In this situation, the Azerbaijani side, despite all the difficulties and problems of the past, is in favor of normalization of relations with Armenia," Bayramov said.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Minister said that since Armenia hasn’t responded to Azerbaijani peace proposals for over one year Baku has offered a new document.  

"Azerbaijan has recently sent a new offer to Armenia to show its good will. We have offered Armenia some basic principles, which include the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia. We have said that we are ready to develop relations based on certain principles. Armenia must consider those questions and give answers,” Bayramov is quoted as saying.

He said the issue of determining the borders between the two countries, which has been underlined many times by Azerbaijan, is among these proposals. Bayramov accused Armenia of stalling any resolution of the border issue by setting preconditions.

“If the Armenian side wants a normalization of relations, they should immediately report their approach to this proposal. I must say that all the principles recorded in that document are principles of international relations, there are no unusual passages there,” Bayramov said.

The Turkish Foreign Minister said preconditions are unacceptable for Baku and called for the establishment of a bilateral cooperation group to iron out existing problems.

Photo @Anadolu Agency