BAKU, September 20. /TASS/: Azerbaijan has drafted a plan for the integration of Karabakh's Armenian population, presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev told a news briefing in Baku.
"The government agencies concerned have developed a comprehensive plan for the socio-economic integration of Karabakh's Armenians," Hajiyev emphasized.
He added that this integration was Azerbaijan's internal affair, but Baku was ready to study the humanitarian needs of the Armenian population in the region. "We are open to negotiations," Hajiyev noted.
On September 19, tensions flared up again in Nagorno-Karabakh. Baku announced it was launching what it described as "local anti-terrorist measures" and demanded the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the region. Yerevan, in turn, said there were no Armenian forces in Karabakh, calling what was happening "an act of large-scale aggression." Residents of the Armenian capital took to the streets to protest outside the Armenian government building, blaming the country’s leadership and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for the situation.
Russia has called on the parties to the conflict to stop the bloodshed and return to a diplomatic settlement. On September 20, Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry announced that with the participation of the Russian peacekeeping contingent an agreement had been reached on the suspension of anti-terrorist activities in Karabakh from 12:00 p.m. Moscow time. The Azerbaijani presidential staff reported that on September 21 the Azerbaijani town of Yevlakh will host a meeting of representatives from Baku and the Armenian population of Karabakh, who will "discuss reintegration issues".
