A1 Plus | 16:20:58 | 22-09-2004 | Politics |

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SPEAKING AT NEWS CONFERENCE

On Wednesday, Armenian foreign minister Vardan Oskanyan, speaking at a news
conference in Yerevan, estimated positively the Armenian and Azeri
presidents’ meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan, but declined to give details. He
said the presidents would tell all about the meeting if they find it
necessary.

Presidents Rober Kocharyan and Ilham Aliev met in Astana last week while
attending the CIS summit. By the end of their bilateral meeting Russian
president Vladimir Putin joined them.

Vardan Oskanyan said he didn’t share the opinion that Russia became too
active in Karabakh conflict settlement issue.

He said meetings with the participation of the third country had always been
held. Besides, Karabakh conflict settlement is within Russia interests, he
added.

Oskanyan is not sure that Kocharyan-Aliev talks started from that very
point, at which they were interrupted because of the then Azeri president
Heydar Aliev’s death “I can only say that the idea hasn’t been rejected”, he
said.

The foreign minister is unhappy about the CE official Terri Davis report on
Nagorno Karabakh and finds it “unacceptable to us”.

The minister doesn’t expect an objective stance also from British David
Atkinson, a new CE reporter on Karabakh, he says he is aware of Great
Britain’s approach to territorial integrity concept. But he says he still
hopes for better, as the report will impact the course of Karabakh conflict
settlement.

It isn’t clear yet when a meeting between Azeri and Armenian foreign
ministers is to be held. Oskanyan will fly Thursday to New-York to attend
the UNO 49th session.