VARTAN OSKANIAN WAITS FOR BUCHAREST MEETING “WITH WARY OPTIMISM”

YEREVAN, MAY 29, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Minister of Foreign
Affairs of Armenia Vartan Oskanian waits “with wary optimism” for
results of the Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents’ meeting to take
place in early June in Bucharest, the capital of Romania. “Coming out
just of Paris experience, one must display a wary optimism. If
Presidents meet, a positive movement is always possible. One must hope
that it will be so. But there is no guarantee, so, we must wait,”
Oskanian said to Radio Liberty. Seyran Ohanian, the Defence Minister
of Nagorno Karabakh, waits with the Presidents’ regular meeting with
optimism as well. “Presidents of both countries do their best within
the limits of maximal possibility for the Nagorno Karabakh issue gets
legally its final solution. Maybe, there will be some progress,”
Ohanian said to Radio Liberty.

At the same time, he attached too much importance to “the
participation of Nagorno Karabakh, as a conflict side, in these
negotiation processes.” In response to the question, if the Nagorno
Karabakh people agrees to return some territories instead of the
status, Seyran Ohanian said: “If the time comes, the people will
decide itself. I do not think that I am competent to speak on behalf
of the people. I find that any decision that may call in question the
process of self-determination of Nagorno Karabakh, its security, tie
with Armenia, may not be made. And the people may not make such a
decision.”