Aliyev, Kocharian negotiate Nagorno-Karabakh

Interfax
Sept 16 2004

Astana. (Interfax) – A Wednesday one-on-one meeting between Azerbaijani
and Armenian Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Robert Kocharian in the Kazakh
capital city of Astana, which they had following a tripartite meeting
with Russian President Vladimir Putin, lasted for over four hours.

“The presidents have clarified certain positions and standpoints,
and now we have to take time to find where we stand” after this round
of negotiations, Kocharian told the press.

The negotiating process concerning the resolution of the Nagorno-
Karabakh problem is “underway,” Kocharian said. He admitted, however,
“We can’t boast of anything special.”

Both parties treat the dialogue “with patience,” he said. “We are
discussing very difficult problems that we have inherited,” he said.

Aliyev assessed the meeting positively. “I deem it positive that
meetings between the foreign ministers, with the co-chairmen of the
[OSCE] Minsk Group involved, are held regularly,” he said.

The Azerbaijani leader admitted that the two presidents cannot say
anything specific as to what they had discussed behind closed doors.
“We always have to confine ourselves to very general phrases, and
there will be no exception today, because the process is extremely
important,” Aliyev said.

He said the two presidents had summarized outcomes of previous
negotiations between the two foreign ministers.

Aliyev and Kocharian once again thanked President Vladimir Putin
for willingness to mediate in their dialogue. “We thank the Russian
president for understanding,” Kocharian said.