YURI MERZLYAKOV: “IT IS THE MOST SUITABLE TIME TO SETTLE KARABAKH CONFLICT”

Today, Azerbaijan
May 10 2006

“The current situation on the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict is promising and bears responsibility,” said OSCE Minsk
Group Russian co-chair Yuri Merzlyakov.

The Russian co-chair told APA exclusively that it is the most suitable
time to reach an agreement and this chance cannot be underestimated.

“I do not think there will a better chance again,” Mr.Merzlyakov said.

The co-chair did not say what are new proposals the co-chairs offered
to the conflicting sides. However, he said there are a number of new
opinions related to some details discussed in the framework of the
Prague process.

The Russian co-chair also said that the Minsk Group co-chairs are
not expected to visit the region by the meeting of Azerbaijani and
Armenian Foreign Ministers Elmar Mammadyarov and Vardan Oskanyan in
Strasbourg in the framework of the Council of Europe event on May
18-19. He did give a specific answer to the question on the date of
the meeting between Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents.

“Let’s organize the meeting of Foreign Ministers first and they
exchange views and then organize the meeting of Presidents if the
Ministers consider it necessary,” Merzlyakov said.

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