ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
March 17, 2004

Karabakh issue can be settled only through Armenian-Azeri dialog

By Tigran Liloyan

YEREVAN

Solomon Passy, the OSCE chairman-in-office and Bulgarian Foreign
Minister is confident that the Karabakh conflict can be settled
peacefully. He made the statement at a press conference after the
talks with the Armenian leadership in Yerevan on Wednesday. The
minister believes that the dialogue is a magic formula that can lead
to the settlement of the conflict. Neither the OSCE nor anybody else
can resolve the Karabakh conflict, Passy said, adding that therefore
the OSCE encourages the sides for dialogue and search of a
comprehensive solution.

The OSCE chairman-in-office noted that he met with Ilkham Aliyev on
Tuesday, with Robert Kocharyan on Wednesday — the leaders who wish
to solve the problem.

Passy also stressed that he will spare no efforts even to partially
promote the conflict settlement till the end of his OSCE
chairmanship.