MAJOR TASK OF ARMENIAN DIPLOMACY REMAINS NAGORNO KARABAKH CONFLICT
SETTLEMENT, NKR AND RA FOREIGN MINISTERS STRESS

STEPANAKERT, July 30 (Noyan Tapan). Urgent matters were discussed and
clarified at the joint consultation between the NKR Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and the RA diplomatic corps staged in Stepanakert in
the framework of the events dated do the 10th anniversary of the
Nagorno Karabakh Foreign Ministry. The outcome of the consultation was
the memorandum on partnership signed by the two parties, the NKR
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ashot Gulian revealed at a joint press
conference on July 30. The results of the consultation were summed up
at the press conference. The current major objective of the Armenian
diplomacy the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, ministers
of Foreign Affairs of the two countries stressed. The current
negotiations process cannot be considered a dead-end, an opinion often
expressed by various political experts, the RA minister of Foreign
Affairs Vardan Oskanian said. The involvement of the Nagorno Karabakh
party in negotiations is a must, Mr. Ashot Gulian believes. The
trilateral format gives an opportunity to settle a mutually profitable
agreement, he said. There is no tangible difference in stances assumed
by parties in the conflict, no stable points of contiguity can be
observed, the RA Minister of Foreign Affairs said. Commenting on the
question whether the principle of compulsion on the part of
international organization can be used, Mr. Oskanian replied that the
negotiations haven’t reached that stage yet. The two ministers also
touched upon the issue of Armenian-Azerbaijan border incidents that
have become more frequent of late, stressing that the initiative to
violate the cease-fire belongs to the Azeri side.