Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
March 24 2006

Armenian minister cites two options for further Garabagh talks

Baku, March 23, AssA-Irada

Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian says there are two
alternatives for the continuation of talks on settling the
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh.
`One of them is the next visit of the [mediating] OSCE Minsk Group
co-chairs to the region, while the other one – holding the next
meeting of the two foreign ministers.’
Oskanian said the steps to be taken for the peaceful settlement of
the dispute have not been elaborated since the private meeting of the
OSCE mediators held in Istanbul on March 20.
`Armenia has done considerable work to solve the problem peacefully.
Now, we are waiting for the Azerbaijani side to take relevant steps,’
he underlined.
The Armenian official added that the hopes for finding a solution in
2006 that were cited earlier have somewhat decreased.
The discussions held by Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Robert Kocharian
in the French town of Rambouillet in February turned out fruitless,
as the parties failed to iron out issues of principle.*