Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS Military Newswire
May 26, 2006 Friday 10:33 AM MSK

Mediators urge swift settlement of Karabakh conflict

YEREVAN May 26

Co-chairmen of the OSCE’s Minsk Group on the Nagorno-Karabakh
settlement from Russia, France and the United States have called on
Baku and Yerevan to come to an agreement on the main principles of
the Karabakh settlement.

“We arrived in Yerevan as members of joint diplomatic mission in
order to assist the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
settlement, because it is high time the parties to the conflict come
to an agreement on the main principles of the settlement,” says a
statement by the co-chairmen published on Thursday in Yerevan.

Meetings with Armenian President Robert Kocharian and Armenian
Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian in Yerevan saw “the discussion of
important elements of a further settlement and opportunities for
presidents of the two countries [Armenia and Azerbaijan] to meet in
the near future,” the statement reads.

“We highlighted the assurance of the international community in
general and our countries in particular that the conflict could be
settled only by peaceful means. Moreover, the two countries [Armenia
and Azerbaijan] should be preparing their society for peace rather
than war,” the statement reads.

Consultation in Yerevan and Baku were constructive and international
mediators from Russian, France and the U.S. will return to “their
capitals to report to the authorities,” the international mediators
said.