STEVEN MANN: U.S. IS READY TO ASSIST KARABAKH PROCESS IN BEST POSSIBLE WAY
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Mar 16 2006
YEREVAN, MARCH 16, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. “I think the
negotiations process on Nagorno Karabakh problem should continue,”
Steven Mann, OSCE Minsk Group American Co-chairman, declared at the
March 16 joint press conference with Daniel Fried, U.S. Assistant
Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs.
He informed that before coming to Armenia he and Daniel Fried have
met with OSCE Minsk Group another Co-chairmen, had a consultation
with them and coordinated the issues to be discussed in Baku and
Yerevan getting the Co-chairmens’ full support.
As for the issue, why it was decided to hold the Co-chairmen’s
meeting in Istanbul, the American diplomat said that “he wanted to
find a convenient place to tell his colleagues about the results of
his visits to Baku and Yerevan, so the choice of the place wasn’t of
essential importance”.
According to S.Mann, during this visit he and D.Fried wanted to
find out “how to move forward from this moment”. “The fact that no
progress was registered in Rambouillet is a difficult problem but
at the Presidents’ meeting we saw that the sides have readiness to
move forward and the U.S. is ready to assist this process in the best
possible way,” the Minsk Group American Co-chairman declared.
The U.S. Assistant Secretary of State in his turn gave assurance that
the governments of both of the countries represent the interests of
their countries in the negotiations process. Both of the countries
treat the Nagorno Karabakh problem seriously as this is an important
and significant issue for these countries,” Fried mentioned.
As for the issue of pre-term recall of U.S. Ambassador to Armenia
John Evans, the Ambassador himself declared that he serves the
U.S. President and Daniel Fried mentioned that he has worked with
Ambassador Evans for 20 years and will continue working with him as
long as the Ambassador will work”.