Armenia pleased with OSCE mediators’ work, minister says

Armenia pleased with OSCE mediators’ work, minister says

Arminfo
22 Sep 04

YEREVAN

The Armenian side is pleased with the activity of the OSCE Minsk Group
in the resolution of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict, Armenian Foreign
Minister Vardan Oskanyan said at a news conference in Yerevan today.

He said the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen are only mediators in
resolving the conflict and that a lot depends on the parties to the
conflict.

“In general, however, Armenia is giving a high assessment of their
activity,” Oskanyan said.

Asked about the reasons for the discontent of the Azerbaijani side,
which always expresses a negative opinion about the Minsk Group’s
work, Vardan Oskanyan said this was explained by the fact that “their
lop-sided position is not reaching out to the co-chairs”.

At the same time, the Armenian foreign minister did not agree with the
opinion that Russia had stepped up its role in resolving the Nagornyy
Karabakh conflict.

“Trilateral meetings of the Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian
presidents were held in the past as well. The meeting in Astana was
one in a series of meetings within the framework of the CIS summit,”
Oskanyan said and added that Russia was a country co-chairing the OSCE
Minsk Group and that a solution to the Karabakh problem was also in
its interests.