Russian mediator upbeat about Azeri-Armenian Prague meeting

Azad Azarbaycan TV, Baku
19 Apr 04

Yuriy Merzlyakov, Russian co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group,
mediating between Armenia and Azerbaijan on Nagornyy Karabakh, has
welcomed new proposals and ideas voiced at the Prague meeting between
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and his Armenian
counterpart, Vardan Oskanyan.

In remarks to Azerbaijani commercial TV station Azad Azarbaycan over
the phone, Merzlyakov said: “We held consultations to discuss specific
proposals. Both sides and the co-chairmen made their proposals public
as the agenda was announced. In a word it was not just a protocol
meeting, but a working one”.

According to a TV reporter, Merzlyakov spoke highly about the outcome
of the meeting and said that the co-chairmen were optimistic. He
quoted Merzlyakov as saying that this was not only the opinion of the
co-chairmen, but of the ministers as well.

The latter will issue a statement on this in the near future.