ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
November 15, 2004 Monday 9:08 AM Eastern Time

No optimism about current state of Karabakh talks-Armenian leader

By Tigran Liloyan

YEREVAN

Armenian President Robert Kocharian has said he feels no great
optimism about the current state of affairs in the Nagorno-Karabakhk
settlement process.

He was speaking at a joint news conference with Estonian President
Arnold Ruutel, who is in Armenia on an official visit.

The Armenian president is certain there are two major hindrances to
progress in the negotiations on Karabakh.

One is the absence of negotiators from Nagorno-Karabakh at the talks.
Kocharian recalled that Baku wants to conduct negotiations only with
Armenia. For this reason, Kocharian said, he has to represent not
only Armenia, but Nagorno-Karabakh, too. In his opinion, this is a
wrong format of negotiations, not reflecting the essence of the
conflict.

The other obstacle is Azerbaijan’s reluctance to begin regional
cooperation. He said Armenia was firmly committed to the formula
“through cooperation to settlement,” while Azerbaijan regarded as
impossible any forms of cooperation with Armenia until a full
settlement of the Karabakh conflict has been achieved.

Yerevan is certain that regional cooperation can bring about a more
favorable climate for settling the conflict.

About the activity of the co-leaders of the OSCE Minsk group for
Nagorno-Karabakh Robert Kocharian said the mediation by Russia,
France and the United States was the optimal format.

The Armenian leader said the Minsk Group was first and foremost a
mediator mission and had no mandate to force parties to the conflict
to conclude a peace treaty.

“The problem today is rooted in who participates in the talks, and
not in who mediates them,” Kocharian said.