‘IF WE WORK OUT FORMULAE, IT MEANS THE SIDES MADE MUTUAL CONCESSIONS’, YURI MERZLIAKOV SAYS

Karabakh issue

Azg/arm
17 July 05

Yuri Merzliakov, Russian co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, stated
at the conference that they discussed the details of the sides’
approaches and paid special attention to the key issues of the further
settlement during the meeting with RA President Robert Kocharian. “We
dealt with the key formulae of the settlement,” Yuri Merzliakov said
and added that a progress was fixed in the settlement of a number of
issues, while the formulae of the rest of the issues are still being
specified. He emphasized that RA and Azeri presidents are sure to
meet in Kazan by the end of August. While, before that, the Foreign
Ministers of both countries will meet in Moscow on August 23.

Though Minsk group co-chairs didn’t specify the details of the
negotiations, they stated for many times that certain progress has
been fixed and that the meetings in the capitals of both countries
and in Stepanakert yielded good results.

In response to the issue whether the settlement will be reached by
the end of the year, Steven Mann, U.S. Co-Chair, said that there
are complicated issues but there are also objective conditions to
achieve the settlement by the end of the year. Mr. Mann added that
though there is a probability to achieve the settlement, there are
no guarantees for that yet. Afterwards, he repeated the idea that the
conflict may be settled by the end of the year or last for a century.

Bernard Fassie, French co-chair, expressed the opinion, that
there are serious possibilities to achieve serious progress, but
the presidents of both countries should achieve an agreement fist
of all. “if we yield to temptation and make an agreement, anyway,
it doesn’t mean that agreement will be reached between the sides,”
He said. Mr. Fassie added that they don’t want to express extreme
optimism, but it doesn’t mean that there is no progress.

Mr. Merzliakov said that they can’t guarantee that great breakthrough
will take place during the meetings in Kazan. He added that they just
hope a positive development of the negotiations will be fixed.

As for the mutual concessions, Merzliakov said that they can say
that certain progress was achieved in the given issue after the
Prague process and the meetings of the presidents in May. “if we
have reached the point when the sides are working out the formulae,
it means that they really made certain mutual concessions,” he said.

In response to the issue what impact will the formulae and the decrees
of various international organizations have on the settlement process,
Bernard Fassie said that various organizations have their own mandates,
but only the Minsk Group is a mediator. For example, the EU is no
mediator, though this organization tries to make conditions for the
issue’s settlement through New Neighborhood project.

As for the parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan and the constitutional
referendum in Armenia, the Co-Chairs said that they think these
processes shouldn’t have any influence of the results of the
negotiations.

By Ara Martirosian