CO-CHAIRS AND THEIR FM OFFICIALS TO HAVE TALKS IN BAKU ON 24 MAY

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
May 23 2006

OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs Yuri Merzlyakov (Russia), Steven Mann (US)
and Bernard Fassier (France), deputy Russian Foreign Minister Grigori
Karasin, US Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs
Daniel Fried as well as French Foreign Ministry director for political
affairs Stanislas D’Labule will have talks on the settlement of the
Nagorno Garabagh conflict in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku, on 24 May.

A diplomatic source told APA that the diplomats will arrive in Baku
in the afternoon tomorrow. The objective of the talks is to agree on
the next round of the negotiating process for the settlement of the
Nagorno Garabagh conflict with Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents
Ilham Aliyev and Robert Kocharian.

The co-chairs propose organizing the meeting of the heads of state
within the summit- “Black Sea for dialogue and partnership” scheduled
for June 4-6 this year in Romanian capital, Bucharest.

Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign Ministers Elmar Mammadyarov and
Vardan Oskanyan had talks within the 116th session of the Council of
Europe Committee of Foreign Ministers in Strasbourg on 19 May. The
Ministers expressed opinions on the co-chairs’ new proposals on the
details of the settlement of the conflict.

The co-chairs and FM officials of their countries will leave Baku
for Yerevan after that.