CO-CHAIRS’ VISIT TO REGION TO CLARIFY ISSUE OF MEETING OF ARMENIAN AND AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENTS

Noyan Tapan
May 16 2006

YEREVAN, MAY 16, NOYAN TAPAN. Proceeding from the current situation
in the process of settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and
proceeding from the problem’s being complicated, no matter what
document is submitted for consideration, the sides will not have
an unequivocal position on it. Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan
Oskanian declared this in his interview to journalists on May
16. He mentioned that depending on the fact “what the opposite side
will accept or will not accept, the Armenian side will try to bring
together the points of view if possible”. According to him, the visit
of OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs to the region planned for late May will
clarify the issue of the possible meeting of Presidents Kocharian and
Aliyev. V.Oskanian also mentioned that the forthcoming meeting between
him and his Azerbaijani colleague in Strasbourg will also greatly
clarify this issue. “If the meeting in Strasbourg passes normally and
the Co-chairs’ visit also fixes some progress, why not, the meeting
between the Presidents is not excluded,” the Minister declared. As
for the issue, what impact the current home political processes in
Armenia can have on the peaceful settlement, the Minister declared:
“I would not like, even if at the current stage, to connect the
negotiations process with the home political events, the process of
settlement is taking its course and the most important is to achieve
peaceful settlement of the conflict”. He expressed confidence that
the process will continue in its usual course.