RIA Novosti
July 14, 2004

OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRMEN TO VISIT BAKU AFTER YEREVAN

BAKU, July 14 (RIA Novosti) – The co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group
for Nagorny Karabakh settlement, Yury Merzlyakov (Russia), Steven
Mann (USA) and Henri Jacolin (France), will pay a two day visit to
Azerbaijan.

As the Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry reported, the aim of the visit by
the co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group is to conduct consultations
with the Baku officials concerning the settlement of the Nagorny
Karabakh conflict. They plan to meet with a number of the Azerbaijan
leaders.

The co-chairmen will arrive in Baku from Armenia where they stay now
in the context of their Trans-Caucasian tour.

As Azerbaijan Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov said, “I would not
say that the co-chairmen will arrive with some new proposals. Since
they did not visit the region in the course of the last six months,
the sides will only exchange opinions.’
Before the visit of the co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group to the
region, special representative of the European Union for the South
Caucasus Heikki Talvitie said at the news conference in the
Azerbaijan capital that there were “new moments” with regard to the
settlement of the conflict which the co-chairmen will discuss with
the sides to the conflict. This visit will be very important,” he
added. “I am glad that both Yerevan and Baku support the activity of
the Minsk Group co-chairmen who have done a great work,” he said. But
the EU spokesman did not specify these “new moments.” However, the
official position of Baku, Yerevan and Stepanakert (the capital of
the self-proclaimed republic of Nagorny Karabakh in the territory of
Azerbaijan which is inhabited mainly by Armenian speaking population)
has not changed today, at the tenth anniversary of the armistice.
Baku is ready to give Nagorny Karabakh the broadest autonomy, but it
is flatly against the independence of the territory. Yerevan and
Stepanakert are prepared to conduct negotiations about normalising
relations with Baku and the return of some earlier captured
Azerbaijan territories but only with the preservation of the present
status of Nagorny Karabakh.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress