THE CO-CHAIRS HAD NOTHING TO SAY EXCEPT DISTRIBUTING PAPER

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[08:46 pm] 25 May, 2006

The diplomats announced in Armenian that they have a “surprise” for
the journalists. The “surprise” was that 6 members of the delegation
read a small announcement for the journalists made at the end of
the meetings. By the way, the reading was divided into “roles;” the
announcement was divided into three parts which were introduced in
Russian, English and French.

It is noteworthy that the readers were not the OSCE Minsk group
Co-chairs, but they were Daniel Fried, assistant of US State Secretary,
Grigori Karasin, Russian deputy Foreign Minister and Ambassador Pier
Moriel, representative of the French Foreign Ministry who came to
the region with the Co-chairs of the Minsk group.

“We, the representatives at the Deputy level of the Russian Federation,
United States, and France, together with the Co-chairs and Personal
Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, have come together
in this joint diplomatic mission because of the need to promote a
peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and because now
is the time for the sides to reach agreement on the basic principles
of a settlement.”

We were received by President Kocharyan and met earlier with Foreign
Minister Oskanyan. As we did yesterday in Baku, we have discussed
important aspects of a future settlement. We have worked to create
the conditions for a meeting of the two presidents in the near
future. We have stressed the belief of our nations and, more widely,
of the international community that the conflict can be resolved in
no other way than a peaceful one. Both countries should, moreover,
prepare their publics for peace and not for war.

Our discussions, both today in Yerevan and yesterday in Baku, were
constructive. We met yesterday with President Aliyev and Foreign
Minister Mammadyarov.

Tomorrow we will return to our capitals to brief our leaders. The
Co-chairs will, as well, brief the OSCE and the international
community.

A joint mission such as this one is a special event.

It must be taken as a sign of the seriousness with which we approach
the issue and, in particular, a belief that we are at the point where
a mutually beneficial agreement is achievable. What happens now will
be up to Armenia and Azerbaijan. We are pleased to be in Yerevan and
wish to express our gratitude to President Kocharyan and people of
Armenia for receiving us.