Russian security boss negative about NATO’s possible role in Karabakh
settlement

Mediamax news agency
30 Nov 04

YEREVAN

The secretary of the Russian Security Council, Igor Ivanov, today
expressed his satisfaction with readiness of Armenia and Azerbaijan to
continue a high-level dialogue to settle the Karabakh conflict.

He said “there is hardly a need for introducing changes which could
make it difficult to expand this dialogue”.

At journalists’ request, Ivanov in Yerevan was commenting on the
recent statement of official Baku on the desirability of NATO’s
involvement in the settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh
conflict. Regional conflicts were not been discussed at a meeting of
the committee of the secretaries of the security councils of the
Collective Security Treaty Organization, which was held in Yerevan
today, because “this is not in our organization’s competence”, Ivanov
said.

“The Russian Federation thinks that the parties to the conflict should
find a solution to the Karabakh problem with active international
assistance. Russia will continue to provide such assistance within the
framework of existing mechanisms,” Ivanov said.

The secretary of the National Security Council under the president of
Armenia and defence minister, Serzh Sarkisyan, noted that the OSCE
Minsk Group was dealing with the resolution of the conflict and none
of the parties can make a unilateral decision to expand or change the
mediation format.