Separatists say return of Azerbaijan's occupied territory “impossible”

Babayan was commenting on remarks by the US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, James Warlick. In an interview with the Russian daily Vedomosti, Warlick said that the occupied territory must be returned to Azeri control as part of a comprehensive settlement of the conflict.

Babayan told reporters on Wednesday that the Armenian position on the settlement of the conflict has remained unchanged. 

He said that it is impossible to speak about the return of the territory as long as the political status of the Nagorno-Karabakh region remains undecided.

"We repeatedly said that the return of territory is impossible—being an enclave, Karabakh, with its former borders, cannot exist and defend itself. Besides, the adversary is tempted to solve the problem by military means,” he said.

Armenians captured nearly 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts, in a war after the Soviet breakup in 1991.

While major hostilities ended with a ceasefire in 1991, no peace agreement has been signed.