GORAN LENMARKER: ISSUE ON STATUS OF NAGORNY KARABAKH IS
PRIORITY IN PROCESS OF SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH CONFLICT

YEREVAN, MARCH 21. ARMINFO. The issue on the status of Nagorny
Karabakh is priority in the process of settlement of the Karabakh
conflict. Goran Lenmarker, Special Representative of OSCE Parliamentary
Assembly Chairman for Nagorny Karabakh, had stated during the Brussels
meeting with Armenian and Azerbaijani parliament members on March
17-18, Vice Speaker of Armenian parliament, Head of Armenian delegation
to OSCE PA Vahan Hovhannisian informed during the news conference in
Yerevan, Monday.

Vahan Hovhannisian expressed confidence in that this provision will
of course be included in the report of Goran Lenmarker concerning
Nagorny Karabakh. The vice speaker also informed that during the
meeting with Armenian and Azerbaijani MPs Goran Lenmarker said
that all the remaining issues, including the question raised by the
Azerbaijani side regarding the territories under the control of the
Armenian side and refugees, are only derivative problems. On the whole
Vahan Hovhannisian qualified the draft report of Goran Lenmarker on
Nagorny Karabakh as balanced. He stressed this fact roused a concern
of the Azerbaijani delegation, which in every possible way tried to
include in the document the provisions from the resolutions of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on Nagorny Karabakh,
elaborated by the British MP David Atkinson. At the same time, Vahan
Hovhannisian stated that the efforts of the Azerbaijani delegation
at this stage did not have a succeed and their proposals were not
included in the draft report of Goran Lenmarker.

“During the discussions we have stressed repeatedly that one of the
consequences of the unbalanced report of David Atkinson on Nagorny
Karabakh was the violation of the cease-fire regime on the contact
line”, Vahan Hovhannisian mentioned. However, the head of the Armenian
delegation considered possible that when discussion of the document
at the summer session of OSCE PA, which will be held in Washington in
July, the Azerbaijani MPs will again try to add it with provisions
from the report of David Atkinson. In Hovhannisian’s opinion, the
parliamentarians of Georgia, Moldova and Turkey will support the
proposals of the Azeri delegation.