RIA Novosti, Russia
March 16 2004

ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN HAVE TO BE MAIN FORCE IN SETTLEMENT OF NAGORNY
KARABAKH PROBLEM, BAKU BELIEVES

BAKU, March 16, 2004. (RIA Novosti) – Azerbaijan and Armenia have to
make the main efforts to settle the Nagorny Karabakh problem,
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Vilayat Guliyev told reporters after his
meeting on Tuesday with the incumbent chairman of the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Bulgarian
Foreign Minister, Solomon Pasi.

“The OSCE plays the role of a mediator in this process today,”
underscored Mr. Guliyev.

He noted that in the course of the meeting with Mr. Pasi the role of
the OSCE in settling the Nagorny Karabakh problem was discussed.

Apart from that, they discussed the problems of democratic reforms in
Azerbaijan, the preparations for the municipal elections in the fall
of 2004, the events of October 15-17, 2003 in Baku (during the
presidential elections, the opposition organized several unsanctioned
protests) and freedom of the press in Azerbaijan.