OSCE chairman conveys Azeri message on Karabakh to Armenians

BTA web site, Sofia
17 Mar 04

Yerevan, 17 March: The authorities in Armenia insist on respect for
the right of Nagorno-Karabakh to self-determination, Armenian Prime
Minister Andranik Markaryan and Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan said
when they conferred with Bulgarian Foreign Minister and
Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) Solomon Pasi here on Wednesday [17 March].

Pasi conveyed to Yerevan Baku’s message on bilateral and vigorous
dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan on settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Bulgarian Foreign Ministry Information
Directorate Chief Viktoria Melamed told Bulgarian journalists in
Yerevan.

The Armenian prime minister and foreign minister told the OSCE
chairman-in-office that Yerevan is ready to consider the dialogue
alternative even though it finds disturbing certain recent statements
by Baku. According to Oskanyan, a more concrete European prospect for
Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan will encourage the finding of
solutions to a number of problems in the region. The Caucasus
countries need a positive signal to stimulate the leaders and peoples
in the region to look at the conflicts from a different angle,
Oskanyan said.

For his part, Pasi noted that OSCE is doing an enormous amount of work
in the Balkans and he wants the same attention and efforts to be
devoted to the Caucasus as well. “The Balkans were different 15 years
ago and I am sure that the Caucasus will become different, too,” Pasi
said.

Earlier on Wednesday, he visited the ancient Armenian capital of
Echmiazin, where he conferred with Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and
Catholicos of All Armenians.