Madrid principles continue to remain on Nagorno-Karabakh settlement negotiating table, Armenian FM Edward Nalbandian told a joint press conference with his Slovak counterpart Miroslav Lajčák in Yerevan today.

“Madrid principles continue to remain on Nagorno-Karabakh settlement negotiating table, and we continue talks basing on those. The working proposals of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs have always been and so they continue,” Nalbandian said.

“We discuss both these and the former proposals and there is nothing odd over it. Statements on one party accepting them, while the other party being destructive, is a mere veil implemented by Azerbaijan recently every now and then,” Armenian FM noted.

Minister Nalbandian recalled that it’s been long since Azerbaijan refused to conduct the talks basing on Madrid principles presented by the mediating states in November, 2007. Now official Baku says it accepts the principles, though, with some exclusions.

“Baku’s recent statements show the exclusions are more than the provisions they accept,” Nalbandian highlighted. Azerbaijani party distorts even the essence of the issue and discussions, he said.